Cyrtanthus leptosiphon Snijman

Deciduous bulbous herb, 200-300 mm tall when flowering. Bulbs clumped, hypogeal, ovate, up to 30-50 mm long, 30-35 mm diam., without a prominent neck; outer tunics brown and papery; inner tunics cream-coloured and fleshy. Leaves 1-5, absent or sometimes present at flowering, linear, 165-220 x 2.0-2.8 mm, suberect, twisted 1 or 2 times, glabrous, shallowly channelled adaxially, with 3 distinct median veins but not keeled abaxially. Inflorescence (1)2(3 or 4)-flowered; scape erect, up to 250 mm long, 3-5 mm diam., tapering distally, pink to green with a grey bloom, hollow throughout or sometimes solid towards base; spathe valves 2, equitant, narrowly lanceolate, up to 30 x 6 mm, membranous, soon becoming papery and reflexed; bracteoles up to 4, filiform, up to 15 mm long; pedicels erect, 3-5 mm long at anthesis, pinkish green, finally up to 9 mm, 2 mm diam., green. Flowers erect, 60-93 mm long, tubular, weakly bilabiate, pale salmon to cream-coloured, often with shell pink or peach on perigone tube and median keels of tepals, unscented; tube straight in proximal half, slightly curved distally, 45-65 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm diam. at base, widening gradually to 6-8 mm at throat; tepals oblong to subacute, 15-25 x 6-10 mm wide, with a prominent 3-5-veined midrib; outer whorl as wide or wider than inner whorl, shortly mucronate; upper 3 tepals connivent for more than half their length, spreading distally; lower 3 tepals overlapping proximally, spreading widely for more than half their length. Stamens biseriate; filaments ±5 mm long, slightly incurved distally, peach-coloured; outer whorl inserted in throat; inner whorl inserted near proximal third of inner tepals; anthers dorsifixed, oblong, 2 mm long, yellow. Ovary ellipsoidal, 5-6 x 2-3 mm, green; ovules axile, ±12 per locule. Style arched against uppermost tepal, reaching as far as outer anthers, incurved distally, pale pink to cream-coloured; stigma minutely 3-lobed, papillate. Capsule unknown. Flowering in the population extends from late February to early April. The plants flower most prolifically in recently burnt veld but occasional flowers have been seen in open, partially disturbed, unburned vegetation.