Hessea tenuipedicellata Snijman

Delicate, deciduous bulbous herb. Bulb solitary, deep seated, subglobose, ca. 15 mm across, covered with brown, cobwebby tunics; producing annually a non-sheathing prophyll, a sheathing cataphyll, a sheathing foliage leaf, and a non-sheathing ioliage leaf; neck slender, up to 8 cm long. Foliage leaves 2, absent at anthesis, linear, opposite, spreading slightly, up to 16 cm long, ca. 1 mm wide, glabrous. Inflorescence umbel-like, lax, 13 cm across; scape slightly curved, rigid, dry, slender, 7.5-13.0 cm long, 1 mm thick, putty-colored, reddened basally; spathe valves 2, linear-lanceolate, 1.5-2.1 cm long, 1.5 mm across proximally, transparent with pinkish veins; bracteoles not visible; pedicels pliant, slender, upwardly curved, 5-10 cm long, ca. 1 mm across, green. Flowers 5-12, opening sequentially at 1-to 4-day intervals, suberect to spreading, sub-stellate, up to 15 mm across, glistening white, often with a lemon-green center, sometimes with pale green toward the base of the outer surface, cream to pale lemon in bud, ± scented, remaining open and turning light brown with age. Tepals 6, scarcely connate but adnate to filament tube for ca. 1 mm, recurved in the distal half, 5-9 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, with a thickened midrib in the proximal quarter, channeled, sometimes with strongly undulate edges. Stamens 6, 5-6 mm long, slightly shorter than the tepals; filaments connate into a tube 1.5 mm long; anthers centrifixed, 1.5 mm long before dehiscence, wine-red; pollen cream-colored. Ovary with 3 ovules per locule. Style slender, up to 5 mm long; stigma trifid; nectar centrally pooled around style base. Fruit not seen.