Plants 180-280 mm high. Corm mostly 7-12 diam., usually with many cormlets at base; tunics of coarse, ± black, hard, wiry fibres, thickened below into claw-like ridges. Stem simple, rarely 1-branched, bearing several, dark-coloured cormlets just below ground level in foliage leaf axil, sheathing leaves with dry attenuate apices, ± 55 mm long, lowermost sometimes with axillary cormlets. Foliage leaf solitary, linear, channelled, inserted shortly above ground, trailing distally, (1.5-)2.0-4.0 mm wide, exceeding stem by 100-150 mm. Rhipidial spathes with dry attenuate tips, inner 60-65 mm long, outer ± 1/2 as long. Flowers long-lived, pale violet to deep blue, outer tepal limbs with white nectar guides at bases with radiating lines of dark blue, scented of vanilla, outer tepals 24-25 mm long, claw ± 10 mm long, white-hairy on adaxial surface, limb 14-15 x 9 mm, usually ultimately recurving, inner tepals spindle-shaped, sometimes oblanceolate and obscurely 3-lobed, 5-6 x 0.5 mm, tapering distally with apex curving inward. Filaments ± 6 mm long, united in lower 1.0-1.5 mm; anthers 5-6 mm long, blue-grey; pollen ± white or yellow. Ovary narrowly oblong-truncate, included or exserted, 7-9 mm long; style branches wedge-shaped, 7-8 mm long; crests narrowly wedge-shaped (or sublinear), ± 10 x 1 mm. Capsules not developed, shed soon after flowers wilt. Seeds not produced.
Home