Plants 100-180 mm high. Corm bell-shaped, 7-8 mm diam., 55-85 mm below ground; tunics dark brown, glossy, margins lightly serrate, teeth directed downward. Stem 2-or 3(5)-branched (rarely simple), branching ± divaricate, bearing a cormlet at each of 2 underground nodes, compressed and 2-angled, angles minutely serrated. Leaves 3 or more, lowermost longest, usually ± twice as long as stem, linear, 2.0-4.5 mm wide, corrugately ribbed, remaining leaves progressively shorter, becoming ± bract-like and usually subtending branch. Inflorescence lax spikes of (2)3 to 5 flowers; outer bracts green, transparent on veins, with slightly serrate keels decurrent on stem angles, 10-18 mm long; inner bracts ± 1/2 as long as outer. Flowers zygomorphic, ± white, reddish brown on reverse, lower 3 tepals each with small claw-like tooth near base and with small basal and larger median dark red spot, unscented; perianth tube cylindric, 27-35 mm long, slightly wider and curved near apex; tepals unequal, upper 3 slightly larger than lower 3, when fully open all held ± horizontally at right angles to tube, ± 11 x 4 mm, lower 3 held closely together, 10 x 3.0-3.3 mm. Stamens unilateral, erect; filaments 5-6 mm long, exserted ± 3 mm from tube; anthers 2.0-2.5 mm long, purple; pollen light purple. Style erect, adaxial to stamens, dividing between mouth of tube and anther bases; style branches ± 2 mm long, divided for slightly > 1/2 their length. Capsules oblong, 8-12 mm long, slightly warty in upper 1/2, without auriculate apices or locular ridges. Seeds globose, light brown, 1.2-1.4 mm diam.
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Cormous geophyte, 100-180 mm tall, branching from base, corm tunics brown, margins with short, down-pointed teeth, deeply buried, with cormlets at underground nodes, stem compressed and minutely serrate on wings. Leaves linear, ribbed. Flowers in a lax, few-flowered spike, white with red markings on lower tepals, red-brown on outside, perianth tube elongate-cylindrical, tepals narrow, spreading. Late Aug.-Sept.
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