Geissorhiza exscapa (Thunb.) Goldblatt

Plants 180-320 mm high. Corm ovoid, 10-15 mm diam.; tunics brown, concentric, fragmenting irregularly, segments drawn into short cusps above. Stem sometimes very short, then sheathed almost entirely by leaves, flexed above sheath of second leaf and near base of spike, usually unbranched. Leaves 3, linear or appearing nearly terete, sticky on sheaths and blades, often with adhering sand, margins expanded into wings held at right angles to blade and curving inward (appearing nearly terete with 2 longitudinal grooves), midrib not or barely raised, lowermost leaf basal, largest, reaching to ± base of spike, upper leaves shorter, uppermost often largely sheathing, inserted in middle of stem. Spike inclined to horizontal, (1-)3-to 9-flowered, flexuose; outer bracts (30-)45-65 mm long, green, inner membranous, up to 20 mm long. Flowers zygomorphic, stamens and style declinate, tepals cream-to ivory-coloured or pink with darker veins, reddish outside, fading deep pink to ± red; perianth tube 40-80 mm long, usually well exserted from bracts, occasionally reaching only to apex of bracts, curved near throat; tepals narrowly obovate, 26-35 x 4.5-6.0 mm wide, outer wider and shorter than inner. Filaments unilateral, declinate, equal, held above lower tepal; anthers ± horizontal, 6-7 mm long, brown. Style arching below filaments, dividing near apex of anthers, branches ± 3 mm long. Capsules oblong-ellipsoid, up to 20 mm long.