Lapeirousia jacquinii N.E.Br.

Plants 80-120(-200) mm high. Corm bell-shaped, 7-9 mm diam.; tunics light to dark brown, basal rim minutely serrate, teeth directed downward. Stem often ± prostrate below for a short distance, erect above, often branched close to ground, compressed and triangular in cross section, one side narrower than other two, angles strongly winged, wings undulate and usually slightly denticulate. Leaves 3 to 5, ± crowded at ground level, lowermost longest, ascending or arcuate, often quite short, lanceolate to falcate, 50-200 x 4-12 mm, strongly ribbed, remaining leaves smaller, weakly ribbed, progressively bract-like above. Inflorescences 2-to 5(-10)-flowered spikes; outer bracts green-glaucous, often ± translucent on sides, (10-)15-20 mm long, margins narrowly hyaline, prominently 2-keeled or lowermost sometimes 1-keeled, keels undulate to crisped, minutely denticulate, inner bracts ± 2/3 as long, membranous and translucent with two prominent green keels, forked apically for 2-3 mm. Flowers zygomorphic, violet (rarely white), lower 3 tepals darker violet or reddish in lower midline with margins white to pale yellow in proximal half, scentless; perianth tube cylindric, 30-40 mm long, widening and weakly curved near apex; tepals unequal, dorsal largest, 8-10 x 4-5 mm, oblanceolate, initially erect but usually reflexed when fully open, then held in same plane as lower; upper lateral tepals spreading at right angles to tube, weakly spooned, apices curved upward, lower 3 tepals directed forward with upcurved tips, 7-8 x ± 2 mm. Stamens unilateral, ± erect; filaments ± 7 mm long, exserted 4-5 mm; anthers parallel, ± 3 mm long, violet; pollen usually blue-violet. Style dividing near base of anthers, style branches deeply forked and recurved. Capsules oblong, 7-9 mm long, apices of locules forming auriculate lobes decurrent on weakly developed locular ridges. Seeds globose, 1.1-1.5 mm diam., dark brown.