Plants (400-)650-1200 mm high. Corm depressed-globose, 25-40 mm diam.; tunics leathery, fragmenting irregularly with age and becoming somewhat fibrous. Stem erect below, flexed outward and inclined above sheaths of upper 1 or 2 leaves, usually unbranched, occasionally 1-branched. Leaves 8 or 9, lower 4 or 5 ± basal, forming a 2-ranked fan, reaching to ± middle of stem or base of spike, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, (5-)10-24 mm wide, margins and main vein thickened and raised, remaining veins fine and closely set, cauline leaves progressively smaller, upper 2 usually entirely sheathing. Spike inclined, lightly flexuose, 12-to 25(45)-flowered; bracts greenish or purple, outer 15-20(-28) mm long, acute to attenuate, 1-2 internodes long, inner shorter than outer, acute or minutely forked apically. Flowers cream-coloured, greenish, pink, mauve, slate-grey, or occasionally orange, usually minutely speckled with pink to purple, either without noticeable nectar guides or lower 3 tepals each with poorly defined pale yellow median patch, unscented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 12-14 mm long; tepals narrowly to broadly ovate, dorsal 15-18(-20) x 11-13 mm, ascending and arching over stamens, upper laterals 15-20 x 10-12 mm, directed forward and curving weakly outward in upper 1/3, lower 3 tepals joined together for 1.0-1.5 mm, 13-17 x 6-9 mm, weakly clawed and channelled in lower 3 mm, flexed downward distally. Filaments 10-12 mm long, exserted 5-6 mm from tube; anthers 4.5-6.0 mm long, dark purple to blackish; pollen white to cream-coloured. Style arching over stamens, dividing opposite distal 1/2, branches 2-3 mm long. Capsules obovoid, 3-lobed above and sometimes retuse, ± 10 mm long. Seeds ovate to triangular, 4-6 x 3-4 mm, poorly and unevenly winged, only one end.
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Cormous herb, up to 1.3 m high. Leaves leathery, glaucous, broadly linear, closely and finely nerved. Lower lateral perianth lobes nearly as long as central lobe with a yellow or dark medial line or blotch. Flowers densely spotted with dark red, maroon, mauve or pink raised dots on a whitish or greyish background.
Cormous herb, up to 1.5 m high. Leaves leathery, glaucous, broadly linear, closely and finely nerved. Lower lateral perianth lobes nearly as long as central lobe with a small yellow or dark mauve blotch on central area of lower lobes. Flowers pale mauve, white or pink, not speckled.
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