Plants up to 60 cm. high.. Rhizome small, moniliform, with fibrous remains of old leaf-bases; roots fibrous, probably with tubers (not seen).. Leaves grass-like, narrowly linear, rosulate, with prominent red-brownish bands at the base especially on outer leaves, narrowly linear, ciliate on the margins, sometimes also with scattered hairs on the lamina, up to 55 cm. long, 4 mm. wide, often narrower.. Peduncle compressed, narrowly winged, glabrous, up to 40 cm. long.. Inflorescence simple, sometimes with basal branches, open with elongated internodes; rhachis terete, glabrous; floral bracts small, ovate, ciliate, outer ones shortly awned.. Pedicels articulated near or below the middle, up to 8 mm. long in fruit, 2–3-nate at the lower nodes.. Perianth open, star-shaped; tepals white to pinkish, ± 12 mm. long, ± 3 mm. wide, 5-veined.. Stamens shorter than tepals; anthers 6 mm. long, slightly longer than the filaments.. Capsule subglobose, shallowly 3-lobed in cross-section, transversely ridged, ± 5 mm. long, 5 mm. wide.. Seeds small, irregularly folded, 1–2 mm. in diameter.
Home