Bulb solitary, small to very large, narrowly to broadly ovoid, laterally compressed, 40-100 mm across; tunics thick, imbricate, distichous, cream-coloured; the margins oblique, light to dark brown. Leaves 2, prostrate or adpressed to the ground, appearing after the inflorescence; blade broadly to narrowly elliptical to oblong or rotund, broader than long, as broad as long or occasionally much longer than broad, 90-400 mm long, 35-280 mm wide, flat, thick and leathery; adaxial surface dark dull green, rough, with minute asperities, rarely smooth; abaxial surface light green, shiny and smooth, immaculate or sometimes slightly spotted with red towards the base; margin cartilaginous, red or hyaline, smooth or with retrorse branched cilia, occasionally only towards the apex; apex obtuse. Peduncle stout or slender, up to 270 mm long, 7-27 mm across the greatest diam., usually furrowed and considerably compressed towards the apex, varying from bright red to deep wine-red or pink, immaculate, glabrous. Umbel medianly compressed, narrowly to widely cyathiform or occasionally lax and somewhat spreading, 30-80 mm across. Spathe valves 5-11, erect but standing apart, sometimes slightly spreading, shorter than or as long as the flowers, narrowly to broadly oblong-lanceolate or ovate, 20-70 mm long, 7-50 mm broad, the lateral spathe valves mostly keeled and falcate, red to wine-red or pink, thin-textured, becoming striate with age; tips obtuse to acute. Flowers (15-)25-150, varying from bright red to salmon or pale pink, sometimes with white on the tube and segment tips. Pedicels 8-35 mm long, whitish to pink or red. Perianth 15-32 mm long; tube 2-9 mm long, widening gradually upwards; segments erect but standing slightly apart from the base, oblong to lanceolate, 10-24 mm long, 1-4 mm wide; tips acute. Filaments exserted by up to 10 mm, pink to red with white tips. Anthers 1-4 mm long when open, yellow. Ovary subglobose, about 2-3 mm diam., pink to red. Style more or less as long as the stamens. Berries subglobose to irregularly ovoid, about 15-20 mm diam., either cream with a pink blush or deep red to wine-red, becoming soft and translucent. Seeds ovoid, 5-8 mm diam., dark wine-red.
More
Perennial geophyte, 0.15-0.25 m high. Leaves dry at flowering, pressed to ground, ± strap-shaped, 35-280 mm wide, leathery, often rough, with a minute, red or opaque, cartilaginous fringe. Flowers many, in a dense, ± compressed cluster, surrounded by several, erect to slightly spreading, red or rarely pink, leathery bracts; perianth 15-32 mm long. Flowering time Jan-Apr., after fire.
Bulbous geophyte, 5-30 cm. Leaves 2, dry at flowering, prostrate, often broader than long, leathery, often outlined with red. Flowers crowded in a dense head, red or pink, bracts 5-11, leathery, red or pink.
Home
