Lapeirousia pyramidalis (Lam.) Goldblatt

Plants (50-)80-140 mm high. Corm bell-shaped, ± 10 mm diam.; tunics light red-brown, lightly ridged, basal margin entire or bluntly lobed. Stem simple or 1-to few-branched from near base, slightly compressed. Leaves 4 or 5, lowermost longest, up to 160 mm long, linear to lanceolate, 2-6 mm wide, strongly ribbed, upper leaves shorter and broader, becoming progressively bract-like above. Inflorescences 6-to 20-flowered spikes, initially 2-ranked, later becoming spiral; outer bracts green, firm, ± succulent, 10-20 mm long, channelled, ovate when flattened, obtuse in side view (deltoid and retuse when unfolded), apex deflexed in profile, margins hyaline; inner bracts 1/3-1/2 as long, transparent with 2 green keels. Flowers zygomorphic, either white to pale mauve, pale blue or pale pink, lower tepals each with a small triangular to diamond-shaped median mark in lower half (subsp. pyramidalis) or violet, purple or dark carmine, lower tepals each with white or cream-coloured markings near base and a central zone of darker pigment (subsp. regalis), either intensely sweet-scented day and night (subsp. pyramidalis) or evidently scentless (subsp. regalis); perianth tube 25-55 mm long, slender, straight or widening slightly in upper 5 mm; tepals subequal, narrowly to broadly ovate, narrowed into claw-like base ± 1.5 mm long, lower tepals each occasionally with a small claw-like cusp near base, dorsal tepal 9-15 x 6-7 mm, erect, held apart from others, upper lateral tepals slightly reflexed, lower 3 tepals usually held closely together and at right angles to tube, 8 x 5 mm. Stamens unilateral, ± erect to ascending; filaments 5-6 mm long, exserted ± 3.5 mm; anthers ± 3 mm long, usually pale yellow to white; pollen ± white. Style dividing between base and apex of anthers or slightly beyond; branches ± 2.5 mm long, forked for 1/2 their length, often becoming tangled in anthers. Capsules obovoid, 8-10 mm long, with wing-like locular ridges in distal half. Seeds ± globose to ovoid, usually somewhat flattened at chalazal end, 1.3-1.5 x 1.4-1.9 mm, epidermal cells tuberculate.