Moraea riparia (Goldblatt) Goldblatt

Plants 450-900 mm high. Corm 13-20 mm diam.; tunics of fine, light brown fibres. Stem straight, simple or 1-to 3-branched from lower nodes, bearing sessile lateral rhipidia at upper nodes, subtended by sheathing leaves often concealing rhipidial spathes, 32-35 mm long, often exceeding node above. Foliage leaves (2)3, linear, ascending, usually bent and trailing above, lowermost longest, ± as long or longer than stem, 3-5 mm wide, channelled, upper leaves progressively shorter and narrower. Rhipidial spathes with attenuate dry apices, inner 33-38 mm long, outer slightly shorter. Flowers fugaceous, stellate, deep yellow, strongly scented; tepals 16-21 x 6-8 mm, claws ± 2 mm long, clasping filament column, limbs spreading, inner slightly shorter but as wide as outer. Filaments 4-6 mm long, united in lower 1.5-2.5 mm; anthers initially 5-6 mm long, yellow; pollen yellow. Ovary cylindric, 5-7 mm long, exserted; style branches divided to base in paired, filiform arms 5-6 mm long, extended horizontally. Capsules obovoid-club-shaped, ± truncate, 6-10(-12) x ± 4 mm. Seeds angular, 1.0-1.5 x ± 1 mm.