Moraea brevistyla (Goldblatt) Goldblatt

Plants mostly 250-500 mm high. Corm ± 15 mm diam.; tunics of dark brown, relatively fine, netted fibres. Stem of 2 to 4 aerial internodes, several-branched, sheathing leaves with dry brown, attenuate apices, 35-70 mm long. Foliage leaf solitary, ± basal, linear, channelled, 2-4 mm wide, ± erect, exceeding stem, trailing distally. Rhipidial spathes with dry, attenuate apices, inner 40-75 mm, outer ± 1/2 as long. Flowers long-lived, predominantly white, sometimes flushed blue to mauve with age, tepals grey to pale purple on reverse, outer tepal limbs with nectar guides of small brown dots at bases, lanceolate, spreading to half reflexed, claws smooth or papillate, inner tepals and style branches yellow finely dotted green or brown; outer tepals 16-30 mm long, claws ascending, ± as long as claws, bearded on inner surface, papillate or smooth on outer surface; inner tepals 3-lobed, lateral lobes slender, laxly spreading, lateral lobes slender, 4-10 mm long, obtuse, erect, inner lobe linear, acute, 4-6 mm long, arching outward. Filaments 5-7 mm long, united in a slender column, free in upper 0.5-3.0 mm; anthers 4-5 mm long, often exceeding stigma lobes, yellow; pollen yellow. Ovary ± cylindric, 5-6 mm long, usually exserted; style branches 4 mm long, crests linear, 2-5 mm long. Capsules club-shaped-ovoid, 6-10 mm long. Seeds unknown.