Haemanthus carneus [ker-gawl.]

Bulb ovoid, more or less medianly compressed, up to 70 mm across; tunics more or less equal, with horizontally truncate margins, cream-coloured, the outer parts mostly withered and brown. Leaves 2 or 3, mostly flat on ground, sometimes recurved, present with the inflorescence or appearing shortly after; blade broadly to narrowly elliptic or ovate, 100-210 mm long, 35-135 mm wide, flat; both surfaces light green, immaculate, softly pubescent or glabrous; margins ciliate; apex acute or obtuse. Peduncle erect, 60-270 mm long, 7-12 mm across widest diam., green to brownish-red, softly pubescent, rarely glabrous. Umbel loose, globose, 45-90 mm across. Spathe valves 5-7, spreading and soon becoming reflexed, shorter than the flowers, narrowly lanceolate, 13-20 mm long, 2-5 mm wide, membranous, rose-pink with darker veins, tips acute. Flowers 30-120, rose-pink. Pedicels 11-25 mm long, brownish-red. Perianth 11-13 mm long; tube 2.5-3.5 mm long, more or less cylindrical, gradually widening upwards, segments slightly spreading, narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 8.5-10 mm long, 1.5-3 mm wide; tips acute to obtuse. Filaments included, less than half as long as the segments at anthesis, 1-3 mm long with alternate filaments 3-4 mm long, white to pale pink. Anthers small, 1 mm when open, yellow. Ovary subglobose, 1-2 mm across, green to reddish-brown. Style short, 3-7 mm long. Berries not known.