Plants (250-)400-700 mm high, with dry, brown cataphylls. Corm globose, 20-40 mm diam.; tunics membranous to soft-papery, becoming finely fibrous. Stem straight and erect, unbranched. Leaves 2 or 3, entirely sheathing, lowermost usually overlapping next; foliage leaves produced after flowering, 2 or 3, 300-500 mm long, terete with four narrow longitudinal grooves, ± 1 mm diam., dry and dead at flowering time, often lacking. Spike lightly flexed at base and inclined, (4)7-to 14-flowered; bracts soft-textured, yellowish green to grey, outer 14-18 mm long, inner slightly shorter. Flowers cream-coloured or pale yellow to pearly grey, sometimes flushed with pink or light mauve, lower 3 tepals or only lower laterals with transverse yellow band and often streaked with narrow purple lines below, sweetly scented during day, partially closing at night, then scentless; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 8-9 mm long, largely enclosed in bracts; tepals narrowly oblanceolate, unequal, dorsal ± 20 x 9 mm, extending horizontally over stamens, upper laterals slightly shorter, directed forward and twisted obliquely to overlap dorsal tepal, curving outward distally, lower tepals united to one another for ± 5 mm, free parts 8-10 mm long, narrowed below into claws, abruptly expanded into limbs ± 5 mm long, arching downward. Filaments ± 10 mm long, exserted ± 5 mm from tube; anthers ± 6 mm long, mauve; pollen pale yellow. Style arching over stamens, usually dividing at or just beyond anther apices, branches 1.0-1.5 mm long. Capsules ellipsoid, 16-19 mm long. Seeds ovate, ± 6 x 3.5 mm, broadly and evenly winged.
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