Herbs, perennial, scapose, glabrous, from bulbs. Bulb solitary, ovoid to ellipsoid, fleshy, with densely packed lunate scales, vein remnants sometimes persisting as blackish, fibrous tunics; no rootstocks or vertical rhizomes. Leaves predominantly basal, grasslike; blade often prominently keeled or V-shaped; cauline leaves widely spaced, progressively reduced distally, intergrading with floral bracts. Scape borne singly, arising from top of bulb, 25–99 cm, sometimes with 1–3(–5) shorter, ascending branches; scape and branches becoming hollow and brittle. Inflorescences racemose, with flowers (10–)24–65(–78) per 10 cm of raceme. Flowers: perianth at anthesis closed (not exposing stamens) or partially to fully open (partially or fully exposing stamens); tepals 6, persistent, withering and shriveling to base, distinct, pure white, yellowish or greenish white, or purplish black, narrowly lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, sometimes each with greenish, yellowish, or purplish central vein, 4–12 mm, often with flattened, triangular apex covered adaxially with minute, glandular hairs; stamens 6; filaments dimorphic, 4–8 mm, 3 longer and with dehisced anthers at anthesis, 3 shorter and with undehisced anthers, all becoming equal after anthesis; ovary superior, ± sessile, 3-lobed, globose, ovules 2 per locule; placentation axile; style 1; stigma distinctly 3-lobed; pedicel 2–3 mm. Fruits capsular, broadly 3-lobed, ellipsoid to ellipsoid-ovoid, slightly constricted 1/3 from apex. Seeds gray-green to black or yellowish brown, fusiform, usually flattened adaxially; coat rough, reticulate. x = 26, 27.
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