Plants 180-300 mm high, base sheathed with sparse to well-developed collar of fibres. Corm 12-16 mm diam., tunics of relatively soft, fine or thicker fibres. Stem unbranched or rarely with single short branch, without cormlets in leaf axils. Leaves 4-6, green or beginning to dry from tips at flowering time, lowermost longest, reaching to middle of spike to shortly exceeding it, blade either ± terete and ± 1 mm diam. or ± plane and ± 2 mm wide, with heavily thickened central vein and margins, separated when dry by narrow longitudinal grooves, upper leaves shorter, with sheaths overlapping, uppermost 1 or 2 leaves sheathing for most of their length, with short free tips. Spike mostly 18-to 50-flowered, closely congested, lower bracts always subtending flowers; bracts mid-to dark brown, ± 5 mm long, outer with broad translucent membranous margins, inner slightly shorter than outer, with 2 dark keels broadened toward base, notched apically. Flowers pale mauve or midblue, unscented; perianth tube ± 5 mm long; tepals oblong, ± 5 x 2.2-2.8 mm. Filaments ± 5 mm long, exserted ± 2.5 mm; anthers oblong, ± 3 mm long. Style ± 7 mm long, dividing between base and middle of anthers; branches 1.0-1.6 mm long, divided for up to half their length, rarely only notched at apex. Capsules narrowly ovoid, smooth, 4-6 x ± 2 mm, with up to 4 seeds per locule. Seeds 3-5 mm long.
Home