Freesia caryophyllacea N.E.Br.

Plants 30-100 mm high, usually ± prostrate. Corm conic, 10-15 mm diam., tunics of pale, medium-textured fibres, sometimes accumulating with age and forming long collar. Stem flexed outward above uppermost leaf sheath and then prostrate or horizontal, rarely suberect, densely puberulous, usually simple. Leaves 5 to 7(-9), prostrate or rarely erect, usually slightly shorter than stem, oblong to lanceolate, (20-)30-100(-120) x 6-15(-20) mm, subacute or obtuse, thin-textured or leathery. Spike declinate, 3-to 10-flowered; bracts obovate, herbaceous and firm-textured, green with hyaline margins, 5-8 mm long, inner slightly shorter. Flowers 30-40(-60) mm long, white flushed purple on reverse of tepals, base of lower tepals marked yellow-orange and usually with dark midline, unscented or violet-scented; perianth tube funnel-shaped, 20-30 mm long with basal tubular portion 5-8(-12) mm long, widening ± abruptly into flared upper portion; tepals with dorsal largest, erect, elliptical to obovate, 17-25(-30) x 8-12 mm, upper laterals oblong-lanceolate, lower tepals recurved, oblong-lanceolate, 14-20 x 6-8 mm. Filaments arcuate, 13-20 mm long, included or slightly exserted; anthers 4-6 mm long. Style dividing at or just beyond anther apices. Capsules oblong or subglobose, 8-10 x ± 10 mm, papillate. Seeds obliquely globose with inflated chalaza and raphe, 2.0-3.0 mm diam., wrinkled, glossy reddish brown.