Lapeirousia violacea Goldblatt

Plants 60-100 mm high. Corm broadly obconic, 8-10 mm diam.; tunics dark brown, with light vertical ridging, basal rim with spreading spines 2-5 mm long. Stem simple or 1-to 4-branched from near base, stem lightly compressed, generally 1-angled, angles decurrent on leaves or bract keels. Leaves 4 to 6 (or more when stem branched), lowermost longest, generally shorter than stem and ascending, narrowly lanceolate or falcate, 5-7 mm wide, corrugately ribbed, other leaves 1/2 as long or less, only lightly ribbed, upper of these often bract-like. Inflorescences (2)3-or 4-flowered spikes; outer bracts pale green, firm, 15-22(-30) mm long, folded and keeled in midline, keels minutely crisped, often 2-3 mm wide near apex; inner bracts mostly green with broad transparent margins, 2/3 to ± as long. Flowers zygomorphic, dark violet, lower tepals each with dark purple to red spear-shaped basal mark and white lines along lower margins; when fully open tepals held ± in one plane, lowermost or all three lower tepals bearing a small basal claw-like cusp; perianth tube 35-40 mm long, slender, widening and curving toward apex; tepals unequal, narrowly lanceolate, dorsal largest, ± 10 x 5 mm wide, separated from others, upper lateral tepals reflexed, lower 3 tepals joined basally for 3-4 mm, free parts held closely together, 7-8 x ± 4 mm. Stamens unilateral, ± erect; filaments ± 9 mm long, exserted ± 5 mm from tube; anthers ± 2.5 mm long, purple; pollen purple. Style dividing opposite base or middle of anthers; style branches ± 2 mm long, deeply forked and recurved. Capsules oblong-trigonous, remaining enclosed in bracts, 9-11 mm long, without locular ridges. Seeds globose, slightly domed outward at chalazal end, 1.1-1.3 mm diam., light brown.