Freesia sparrmannii N.E.Br.

Plants (100-)150-250 mm high. Corm conical, 10-25 mm diam., tunics pale, of fine-textured fibres. Stem erect or flexed outward above uppermost sheath and then suberect, minutely papillate in lower half, usually branched. Leaves 5 to 9, erect, ± as long as the stem, linear to narrowly lanceolate, tapering above, 70-200 x (2-)3-8(-9) mm, acute. Spike deflexed, (3-)5-to 8(-11)-flowered; bracts obovate, herbaceous and firm-textured, green with hyaline margins, flushed purple apically, (3-)4-6(-7) mm long, inner slightly shorter. Flowers (30-)35-40 mm long, white, flushed dull purple on reverse of tepals, base of lower median tepal with oblong yellow-orange mark in midline, unscented; perianth tube narrowly funnel-shaped, 20-27 mm long with basal narrow part 12-15 mm long, expanded into wider, flared upper portion; tepals unequal, dorsal largest and suberect, ovate, 10-11 x ± 7 mm, upper laterals slightly narrower, lower tepals recurved, narrowly ovate, 7-8(-10) x 4-5 mm. Filaments arcuate, 10-14 mm long, included; anthers 4.0-4.5 mm long. Style dividing ± 2 mm beyond anther apices. Capsules oblong or subglobose, 10-12 x 8-10 mm, papillate. Seeds obliquely subglobose with inflated chalaza and raphe, 2.0-2.5 mm diam., smooth, glossy reddish brown.