Ferraria ornata Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Plants acaulescent, 50-80 mm high. Stem closely 2-to 4-branched; replacement corms not present at flowering, developing later; cataphylls (usually only uppermost) turning red above ground. Leaves 4 or 5, clasping stem, lanceolate-concave, up to 40 x 15 mm, glaucous with purple tips; margins membranous, reddish, finely crisped, basal leaf with blades 5-10 mm long, subterete to cylindric, obtuse-apiculate, 3-4 mm diam.; non-flowering plants with 1 to 3(-5) leaves; blades suberect or falcate, subterete or cylindric, ± 4-sided to round in section, 60-80 x 2-4 mm, obtuse-apiculate, glaucous with purple apex and sheath, sheath margins and veins minutely hairy abaxially. Rhipidia 2-flowered; spathes leathery, glaucous, with translucent, membranous margins, inner 40-50 mm long, outer about half as long, sheathing in lower half, arching outward. Flowers on pedicels 30-40 mm long; white with base of tepal limbs yellow, limbs finely brown-spotted basally and with fewer, larger brown spots distally, margins finely crisped, yellow and brown, claws streaked with brown, unscented, with bilobed, concave nectaries in middle of claws, distal nectary margin prominently crested, pale lilac with purple streaks, tepal claws narrowed below, forming a windowed cup 7-8 mm deep and ± 10 mm wide at rim, limbs spreading or slightly reflexed; outer tepals ± 19 x 10 mm with claws ascending, ± 8 mm long, narrowed below and ± 2 mm wide, inner ± 13 x 6 mm with claws ± 6 mm long, narrow proximal part ± 1.5 mm wide. Filaments united in column 8-9 mm long, upper ± 2 mm free; anthers diverging, thecae parallel, ± 3 mm long, brown; pollen orange. Ovary ellipsoid, 10-12 mm long, included; style branches diverging, deeply divided into diverging, fringed arms; stigmas terminal on style arms. Capsules broadly ovoid, 14-18 mm long, tapering to acute tip. Seeds irregularly 5(6)-sided, ± 3 x 2 mm, facets separated by pale straw-coloured, wavy ridges, usually ± plane, dark brown.