Moraea deserticola Goldblatt

Plants 350-450 mm high. Corm ± 10 mm diam.; tunics of hard, dark brown to blackish fibres. Stem simple or 1-to 3-branched from upper nodes, sheathing leaves 25-40 mm long. Foliage leaves 2 or 3, linear, channelled, 2-3 mm wide, ± as long as the stem, margins becoming tightly inrolled when dry, lowermost basal and largest. Rhipidial spathes becoming dry and brown above, inner 33-40 mm long, outer ± 2/3 as long. Flowers fugaceous, pale blue or white with pale blue outside, limbs of all tepals with yellow nectar guides at bases, tepal claws ascending and forming a wide cup including the filament column, limbs extended horizontally; tepals 30-36 x 11-12 mm, claws ± 12 mm long, inner slightly smaller than outer. Filaments 8-10 mm long, united in a smooth slender cylindric column; anthers 5.5-6.5 mm long, erect, contiguous, appressed to and initially concealing style branches. Ovary 6-7 mm long, narrowly obconic, exserted, conspicuously red-veined; style dividing into 3 short horizontal lobed branches just above apex of anthers ± 1 mm long, crests lacking. Capsule ± obovoid, 9-10 mm long, red-veined. Seeds many, angular.