Ixia alata Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Plants mostly 0.7-1.1 m high, sheathed below by prominent, dry remains of cataphylls and leaf bases. Corm 20-25 mm diam.; tunics of medium-textured fibres accumulating in a fairly dense mass. Stem usually with 2 to 4 short branches up to 8 mm long; branches subtended by pale, dry, attenuate scale-like bracts and prophylls 5-7 mm long, bracts sheathing in lower part. Leaves 3, lower 2 linear, ± 1/3-1/2 as long as stem, mostly 3-4 mm wide (when alive), leathery, main vein strongly thickened, margins raised into wings held ± at right angles to blade, wings tilted to same side with one surface more exposed, uppermost leaf entirely sheathing. Main spike 4-to 6-flowered, lateral spikes mostly 3-to 5-flowered; bracts translucent with light brown veins drying purple, 6-8 mm long, outer 3-veined and shallowly 3-lobed, often secondary veins not reaching bract apices, inner 2-veined, shallowly 2-lobed. Flowers half(-fully) nodding, pale pink, white at base of tepals and in tube, with short purple lines at tepal bases and throat, unscented; perianth tube widely funnel-shaped, 5-6 mm long, narrow lower part ± 2.5 mm long; tepals laxly spreading distally but remaining slightly cupped, ovate, 13-16 x 5-8 mm, outer slightly wider than inner, indented abaxially along midline above filament insertion to a rounded median adaxial crest. Filaments ± 5 mm long, exserted ± 2 mm from wide part of tube, adaxial base with a flange decurrent on tepal midline; anthers 4-5 mm long, white, parallel or slightly diverging when flower fully open; pollen yellow. Ovary minutely warty; style dividing opposite middle to upper third of anthers, branches ± 2 mm long, suberect and extending above anther tips.