Cyrtanthus mackenii Hook.F.

Bulbous geophyte, 180-530 mm tall when flowering. Bulb hypogeal, up to 20-50 x 15-35 mm, narrowed to a neck 10-80 x 7.5-15.0 mm; outer tunics brown and papery; inner tunics cream-coloured and fleshy. Leaves narrowly lanceolate, up to 400 x 7-18 mm, suberect to recurved, slightly channelled, glabrous; abaxial surface with 3 prominent median veins. Inflorescence 3-8(9)-flowered; scape erect to curved, up to 450 x 5-8 mm diam. at base, tapering distally up to 3-5 mm at apex, round to slightly compressed in t/s, hollow; spathe valves 2, outer sheathing inner at base, lanceolate, shortly exceeding pedicels, up to 25-60 x 4-8 mm (at base), membranous, suberect and flushed pinkish when fresh, later reflexing and turning brown; bracteoles several, linear, up to 20 mm long; pedicels suberect to slightly spreading, up to 27 x ± 1.5 mm at anthesis, lengthening up to 30 mm and becoming more rigid when fruiting. Flowers opening ± simultaneously, white to yellow often suffused with apricot-pink; nectar unknown; perigone tube dilated gradually to throat, slightly to distinctly curved; tepals ovate, outer shortly mucronate. Stamens biseriate, regular; filaments ± 1 mm long; anthers dorsi-fixed, 2.0-2.5 mm long before dehiscing, yellow; pollen yellow. Ovary ellipsoidal, somewhat 3-angled, 4-5 x 3 mm; ovules axile, ± 25 per locule; style usually pressed against upper tepals, as long as or rarely slightly longer than perigone tube, reaching up to ± 45 mm; stigmatic branches 3, spreading, slender, ± 1 mm long, truncate, shortly papillate towards apex. Capsule ovoidal, 10-20 x 7-10 mm. Seeds 5 x 3 mm, winged, dark shiny brown.