Bulbs 5–16 cm. in diameter, often with a considerable neck up to 30 cm., often propagating vegetatively to form large clusters.. Leaves erect or spreading, but never flaccid, glossy, lanceolate, 30–75 cm. long, 3–9 cm. broad, keeled with a distinct midrib, glabrous to slightly scabrous on the margin and wavy, normally evergreen with intact acute apices, with white woolly fibres appearing when a leaf is torn.. Scape 30–70 cm. long, contemporary with the leaves.. Spathe-valves greenish, tinged with red, robust, persistent and erect, enveloping the perianth-tubes at anthesis.. Flowers 4–10, sweetly scented, sessile.. Perianth-tube greenish, 9–16 cm. long, curved only in the upper part above the erect involucre; segments green in bud, but during anthesis pure white with a broad sharply bordered mauve to purple dorsal streak, broadly lanceolate, acuminate, 8.5–11 cm. long, 2.5–3.5 cm. broad, outer and inner ones subequal in width, all connivent to a zygomorphic bell, with the upper segments more reflexed than the lower, but the bell opening with almost patent segments at night.. Filaments white or tinged with red, declinate; anthers dark grey or black, curved, 0.7–1.4 cm. long.. Style white or greenish white, often tinged red distally.. Fruits green, globose, without a beak.. Seeds 5–15 (–20), green, without water-repellent membrane, very irregular, looking like segments of a sphere or parts of such.
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