Lapeirousia verecunda Goldblatt

Plants 80-150 mm high. Corm bell-shaped, 10-13 mm diam.; tunics red-brown, slightly rugose, basal rim slightly lobed. Stem simple or with 1 to 3 branches from base, slightly compressed and 2-angled, one or both angles winged, wings decurrent on leaves or bracts. Leaves 5 to 7 (more depending on number of branches), lowermost longest, linear, ascending to falcate, closely ribbed, 70-100 x 3.5-5.0 mm, seldom exceeding stem; upper leaves < 1/2 as long as lowermost, progressively shorter and bract-like distally. Inflorescences 9-to 12-flowered, 2-ranked, spikes; outer bracts green, firm, narrowly lanceolate, acute, often recurved at tips, 10-20 mm long, margins membranous, channelled or folded in midline; inner bracts ± 1/2 as long, notched at tips. Flowers zygomorphic, white, tube and reverse of tepals copper-pink, lowermost or all 3 lower tepals with red, heart-shaped mark in lower midline; perianth tube cylindric, slender, 40-50(-55) mm long, slightly curved forward distally; tepals subequal, ovate-elliptic, slightly narrowed at base, subacute or obtuse, 10-12 x 5.5-6.0 mm, dorsal erect, lower 3 tepals ± horizontal. Stamens unilateral, erect; filaments ± 6 mm long, exserted ± 3 mm; anthers parallel, contiguous, ± 3 mm long, purple; pollen purple. Style dividing opposite anther tips, branches ± 2 mm long, divided for 1/2 their length, recurved. Capsules obovoid-trigonous, ± 10-13 x 7 mm, with prominent wing-like locular ridges in distal half. Seeds ± globose, smooth, dark brown, 1.6-1.9 mm diam.