Plants 350-550 mm high, with lightly villous cataphylls. Corm ovoid to broadly conic, 18-22 mm diam.; tunics cartilaginous, decaying into fairly coarse vertical fibres, often accumulating in a dense mass. Stem erect, ± straight, unbranched. Leaves usually 3(4), entirely sheathing, lowermost basal, sheathing lower 1/4 of stem, glabrous, normally not overlapping next leaf, second leaf inserted on lower 1/3 of stem, 100-150 mm long, uppermost leaf inserted on upper 1/3 of stem, 200-400 mm long; non-flowering plants ultimately with three leaves, 200-300 mm at flowering but later up to 500 mm long, sheaths sparsely villous, blades linear, 5-6 mm wide, lightly to fairly densely villous, margins and main vein moderately raised and thickened, secondary veins not or barely thickened. Spike drooping in bud, becoming straight as flowers open, 10-to 15-flowered; bracts pale grey-green often flushed grey-purple, outer 16-20 mm long, inner slightly shorter, notched apically. Flowers pale yellow, tepals of outer whorl densely speckled on lower 1/2 of limbs and on claws, lower lateral tepals irregularly streaked with dark purple lines, with a faint acrid odour; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, ± 8 mm long; tepals narrowed below into claws, strongly apiculate, dorsal largest, inclined over stamens, 22-24 x ± 10 mm, upper laterals spreading distally, margins lightly crisped, 19-21 x ± 9 mm, limbs 11-12 mm long, lower 3 tepals united with upper laterals for ± 2 mm and together ± 3.5 mm, claws ± 4 mm long, abruptly expanded, lower laterals with limbs ± oblong, 10-11 x 4 mm, becoming channelled below and auriculate at base, lower margins raised and almost vertical, lower median ± 16 mm long, limb also abruptly expanded and auriculate at base, limb 11 x ± 7 mm. Filaments ± 15 mm long, exserted ± 11 mm from tube; anthers ± 6.5 mm long, dark red-purple; pollen cream-coloured. Style arching over stamens, dividing between base and lower third of anthers, branches ± 3 mm long. Capsules obovoid, 3-lobed above and retuse, 14-20 mm long. Seeds ovate-oblong, 7-8 x 4-5 mm, evenly winged.
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