Cyanella marlothii J.C.Manning & Goldblatt

Plants 200-350 mm high. Corms moderately deep-seated, 15-30 mm diam., tunics of coarsely netted, wiry fibres, extending shortly into a fibrous neck to 20 mm long, pale brown or grey. Basal leaves 4-6, suberect, linear or linear-lanceolate, 50-100 x 2-6 mm, acute to attenuate, canaliculate or involute, with prominent midrib and ribbed veins abaxially, firm-textured, glabrous, margins ± undulate, sparsely scabridulous-ciliolate. Inflorescence a moderately dense raceme up to 20-flowered, with up to 2 branches, lower flowers 0.5-0.6 times pedicel length apart; pedicels suberect, deflexed at bracteole, mostly 20-30 mm long; bracteoles inserted in upper third. Flowers facing outwards, pale mauve (`blue') with darker veins, ?fragrant; tepals spreading, outer elliptic, 10-12 x 2-3 mm, apiculate, inner oblanceolate, 10-12 x 2-3, narrowed below. Stamens dimorphic, 3 + 3; filaments erect but deflexed apically, 2-3 mm long, connate halfway or more into cylindrical tube 1-2 mm long, posterior anthers ± sagittate, outer smaller, 1.5-2.0 mm long, median 2.0-2.5 mm long, yellow but greyish or mauve distally, anterior anthers 3-4 mm long, yellow basally but greyish or mauve in distal 2/3. Ovary half inferior, style medially deflexed, ± 6 mm long, extending shortly beyond anthers. Capsules subglobose, 6-7 mm diam, 3-lobed. Seeds unknown.