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Leafy stem erect, up to 15 cm long, 25-28 mm across including the leaves, proliferous from the base and forming clusters. Leaves regularly trifarious, imbricated, spreading, recurved, 20 mm long, 13-15 mm broad above the base, 4.5 mm thick at the middle, the sheathing leaf base 6.5-7.5 mm long on the side opposite to the lamina, ovate-deltoid, ± abruptly acuminate, cuspidate; face concave, triangular-concave towards the tip, minutely scabrous in the upper half with concolorous papillae, often with a longitudinal concolorous raised line alongside the middle groove, pink at base, light yellowish-green becoming dark green towards the tip, ± shining below to dull above; back rounded, becoming triangular towards the tip, minutely scabrous in the upper 2/3, sandy, pink at base, dark green above, dull; keel prominent, straight and central in the upper 1/3, below turned sharply to one side in a long-curve, green, horny, ± shining; margins acute below, becoming broad and flattened towards the tip of leaf, green, horny, shining. Peduncle simple, terete, 1 mm diam., 28 cm long including the raceme, brown below; raceme 12.5 cm long, about 12 spirally arranged flowers and buds, 1 open at a time; pedicels 7 mm long, barely 1 min. diam., greenish-brown; sterile bracts 2, 5.5 mm long, the lower one 5 cm from base of peduncle; fertile bracts 3.5 mm long, deltoid-lanceolate, acuminate, white, with a fine brown nerve; perianth white, brown nerved, 17 mm long, the cylindrical-hexagonal sub-globose base 3 mm diam., only slightly constricted above, the base tapering to the pedicel, oblong, spreading, ± curved; upper segments obtuse, channelled, the inner one straight, tip incurved, face colour white at tip to green below with a broad greenish-brown nerve, the 2 outer segments short-recurved-revolute, not spreading, face colour white with a broad greenish-brown nerve; lower segments obtuse, the inner one channelled, revolute, face colour white with a greenish-brown nerve; the 2 outer replicate, recurved about 90 degrees, spreading, face colour pure white at tip, greenish below, with a broad greenish-brown nerve; stamens 6 and 7.5 mm long; ovary 3 mm long, 1.5 mm diam., bright green; style 2 mm long, ± bent, capitate, yellowish-white.
Leafy stem sub-erect, up to 8 cm long, 42 mm across including the leaves, proliferous from the base and forming clusters. Leaves spirally trifarious, imbricated, spreading, 22 mm long, 14 mm broad below middle, 4 mm thick at middle, the sheathing leaf base 5-5.5 mm long on opposite side to the lamina, ovate, acute, cuspidate, recurved; face concave, concave-triangular towards the tip, minutely scabrous and sandy in the upper 2/3, pink near base, the young leaves light green to light-yellowish green, becoming dark green when old, dull; back convex, triangular towards the tip, minutely scabrous and sandy in the upper 3/4, pink at base, dark green above, dull; keel 1, in upper 2/3, gristly near tip, obliquely arranged; margins acute in the lower 1/3, blunt above, scabrous, concolorous. Peduncle simple, terete, 0.5 mm diam., 25.5 cm long including the raceme, brown below; raceme 7 cm long, with about 10 spirally arranged flowers and buds, 1 open at a time; pedicels 7 mm long, 0.5 mm diam., ascending, greenish-brown; sterile bracts 2, 4 mm long, the lowest 6.5 cm from the base of peduncle; fertile bracts 3.5 mm long, deltoid, acuminate, light brown with a very fine dark brown nerve; perianth white, 18 mm long, the cylindrical-hexagonal base 3.25 mm diam., constricted to 2.75 mm above, not stipitate, oblong, erect-spreading, ± curved; upper segments obtuse, channelled, the inner one straight, face colour white at tip, bright green below, with a medium-fine greenish-brown nerve, the 2 outer segments long ± recurved, spreading, face colour white with a broad nerve which is brown near the tip and greenish below; lower segments obtuse, the inner one channelled, recurved at an angle of about 90 degrees, face colour white with a medium-fine nerve which is brown at the tip and greenish below, the 2 outer segments replicate, slightly less recurved than the inner, spreading, face colour pure white at tip, bright green below with a medium-fine nerve which is brown at tip and greenish-brown below; stamens 5 and 6 mm long; ovary 3 mm long, 1.25 mm diam., light green; style barely 2 mm long, green, ± bent, ± capitate.
Leafy stem erect, 8 cm long, 65 mm across including the leaves, proliferous from the base. Leaves spirally trifarious, imbricated, spreading, 42 mm long, 18.5 mm broad below the middle, 5.5 mm thick, the sheathing leaf base 6 mm long on opposite side to the lamina, ovate-elliptic, acute-acuminate, cuspidate, long recurved; face concave, recurved towards the tip at an angle of about 80 degrees, minutely scabrous and sandy in the upper 1/3 with about 6 lines, pink near base, dark green above becoming reddish towards the tip; back rounded, triangular towards the tip, minutely scabrous and sandy in the upper 3/4, with about 14 lines, pink near base, dark green above becoming reddish-brown near tip; keel 1, in the upper 1/2, central, obtuse below, acute and conspicuously raised towards the tip; margins acute in the lower 1/3, blunt above, reddish-brown. Peduncle simple, terete, barely 1 mm diam., 27 cm long including the raceme, dark reddish-brown below; raceme 9-10 cm long, with about 14 spirally arranged flowers and buds, 1-2 open simultaneously; pedicels 4.5-5 mm long, 0.5 mm diam., ascending, light brown; sterile bracts 3, 5.5 mm long, the lowest 6 cm from base of peduncle; fertile bracts 2.5 mm long, deltoid, acuminate-subulate, light brown with a fine dark brown nerve; perianth dull white, 15-16 mm long, the cylindrical-hexagonal sub-globose base 3 mm diam., only slightly constricted above, tapering to pedicel, oblong, ± ascending, hardly curved; upper segments obtuse, channelled, the inner recurved about 50 degrees, face colour white with a broad green nerve, the 2 outer recurved about 90 degrees, ± spreading, face colour white with a fine brown nerve; lower segments obtuse, the inner ± channelled, very recurved, face colour white with a medium fine brown nerve, the 2 outer replicate below, channelled above, very recurved, shorter than the inner, spreading, face colour white with a fine greenish-brown nerve; stamens 5.5 and 6 mm long; ovary 2.5 mm long, barely 1.25 mm diam., dull green; style 1.5 mm long, yellowish-green, straight, ± capitate.
Leafy stem erect (-ascending) up to 9 cm long, 35 mm across including the leaves, proliferous from the base. Leaves imbricated, spirally trifarious, 27 mm long, 12 mm broad and 6.5 mm thick at middle, ovate-lanceolate, acute-acuminate, cuspidate, the old less recurved than the young, the sheathing leaf base 4 mm long on the side opposite to the lamina; face +/-concave below, the old flat-concave, the young triangular-concave, minutely scabrous in the upper 1/2, light green below, dark green above, +/-shining; back rounded, triangular near the tip, minutely scabrous in the upper 3/4, with 11 reticulate lines, light brownish-green below, very dark green above, +/-shining; keel 1, +/-obliquely arranged in the upper 1/2, obtuse below, acute above, horny near the tip; margins acute below, +/-rounded above, less scabrous than the leaf, horny, light greenish, reddish towards tip. Peduncle simple, terete, fully 3/4 mm diam., 22 cm long including the raceme, reddish-brown below; raceme 8.5 cm long, about 12 flowers and buds, 1-2 open at a time; pedicels4.5 mm long, 5/8 mm diam., green; sterile bracts 1, 4 mm long, 9 cm above base of peduncle; fertile bracts 3.5 mm long, deltoid, acuminate-subulate, white with a fine reddish-brown nerve; perianth white, 17 mm long, the cylindrical-hexagonal base 3 mm diam., slightly constricted above, ascending, not curved; upper segments obtuse, channelled, the face colour of the outer ones white with a medium fine nerve which is red at tip and green below, recurved, spreading, face colour of the inner segment white at tip, pale green below, with a medium fine nerve which is reddish at tip and greenish-brown below, not or hardly recurved with the tip incurved; lower segments obtuse, very recurved, face colour white, each with a medium fine nerve which is red at tip and green below, the outer segments replicate, very spreading, the inner one channelled; stamens 6 and 7 mm long; ovary 2.5 mm long, 1.25 mm diam., green; style 2.125 mm long; yellowish-green, +/-bent, capitate.
Leafy stem erect, 10 cm long, 30 mm across including the leaves, slowly proliferous from the base and forming clusters. Leaves regularly to somewhat spirally trifarious, imbricated, spreading, ± recurved, 20 mm long, 15 mm broad near the middle, 5.5 mm thick, the sheathing leaf base 4 mm long on opposite side to the lamina, ovate-deltoid, abruptly acute, cuspidate; face concave below, triangular towards tip, minutely scabrous and sandy, light green in the lower half, olive green and sandy above, dull; back rounded, triangular near tip, minutely scabrous, dark green and sandy, dull; keel 1, in the upper 1/2 ± obliquely arranged, obtuse below, acute above, with very fine papillae and minute, crowded, horny, concolorous teeth; margins acute in the lower half, blunt above, scabrous, concolorous. Peduncle simple, 1 by 1.25 mm elliptic, 26 cm long including the raceme, dark brown below; raceme 9 cm long, about 14 spirally arranged flowers and buds, 2 open simultaneously; pedicels 3.5 mm long, 0.75 by 1 mm elliptic, erect-spreading, green; sterile bracts 3, 5.5 mm long, the lowest 7.5 cm from the base; fertile bracts 4 mm long, lanceolate-deltoid, acute, white, with a fine brown nerve; perianth white, 16 mm long, the cylindrical-hexagonal sub-globose base 3.5 mm diam., very slightly constricted above, oblong, erect-spreading, not curved; upper segments obtuse, channelled, face colour of the 2 outer white with a medium-fine nerve which is red at tip and green below, recurved about 90 degrees, spreading, face colour of inner segment silvery-white at tip, green below, with a fine green nerve, straight, tip incurved; lower segments obtuse, face colour of the 2 outer segments silvery-white, with a fine greenish-brown nerve, recurved about 80 degrees, replicate-wavy, spreading, face colour of inner segment white with a greenish-brown nerve, ± channelled, ± revolute; stamens 6 and 6.5 mm long; ovary 3 mm long, 1.5 mm diam., light yellowish-green; style 2.75 mm long, straight, ± capitate.
Leafy stem ascending, 9 cm long, 32 mm across including the leaves, slowly proliferous from the base. Leaves closely imbricated, spirally trifarious, 21 mm long, 14 mm broad and 4 mm thick at the middle, oval, acute-acuminate, cuspidate, the old recurved at an angle of about 90 degrees, the young less recurved, the sheathing leaf base 3 mm long on the side opposite to the lamina; face concave, becoming triangular-concave towards the tip, smooth below with small lighter coloured papillae in the upper 1/3, pink at base, light green up to about the middle, then darker green becoming lighter green near tip, dull; back convex, smooth below, minutely scabrous in the upper 1/3, same colour as face, dull; keel 1, in the upper 1/2, obliquely arranged, obtuse below, acute above; margins acute below, blunt in the upper 2/3, dark green below, lighter above, gristly, ± shining. Peduncle simple, terete, 3/4 mm diam., 28 cm long including the raceme, brown below; raceme 10 cm long, about 11 ± spirally arranged flowers and buds, 1-2 open simultaneously; pedicels 4 mm long, barely 3/4 mm diam., ascending, light brown; sterile bracts 2, the lower one 7 cm from base of peduncle; fertile bracts 2.5 mm long, lanceolate, subulate, light brown with a broad dark brown nerve; perianth greenish-white, 16 mm long, the cylindrical-hexagonal sub-globose base fully 2.5 mm diam., constricted to 2.25 mm above, ascending, ± curved; upper segments obtuse, recurved, not spreading; lower segments obtuse, narrower, more recurved, the inner one ± channelled, the outer ones replicate, spreading; stamens 5 and 6 mm long; ovary 2.75 mm long, 1 1/8 mm diam., light green; style 3 mm long, greenish, bent, capitate.
While in all other forms of this species the leaf tip is acute and prickling, in this new variety the leaves which are arranged in three straight or somewhat curved longitudinal lines, are subobtuse and have a very small mucro, they spread horizontally. The color of the margins is red-brown, but disappears in cultivated plants in Europe.
Stems up to about 6 cm long but mostly shorter, very proliferous from the base, soon making clumps. Branches at first creeping horizontally, adscending later on. Leaves in three mostly straight, longitudinal lines, small 10-12 mm long, 6-8 mm broad, distinctly recurved at the sharp tip, more horizontal in cultivated plants.
