Moraea robusta (Goldblatt) Goldblatt

Plants up to 400 mm high, solitary or in small clumps. Corm 10-18 mm diam.; tunics of coarse, brown fibres. Stem sheathed below by dark brown to black, fairly rigid vertical fibres often reaching above ground, unbranched, enclosed by 3 to 8 overlapping sheathing leaves 70-100 mm long. Foliage leaf solitary, ultimately much exceeding stem and trailing distally, channelled to flat, 4-10 mm wide or with margins tightly inrolled, then narrowly channelled adaxially, and 2.5-3.0 mm diam. (± 5 mm wide when opened flat), much exceeding stem but ultimately trailing distally. Rhipidial spathes green with dry brown tips, slightly inflated, inner 90-120 mm long, outer ± 2/3 as long. Flowers lasting 3 days, pale yellow to ± white, outer tepal limbs with yellow nectar guides at bases, laxly spreading, sweetly scented; outer tepals 55-65 x 22-26 mm, limbs up to 40 mm long, acute; inner tepals lanceolate, 50-58 x 12-15 mm long, ± retuse, limbs laxly spreading to half reflexed. Filaments 10-15 mm long, united in lower 2/3; anthers 10-14 mm long, yellow or white. Ovary cylindric, 12-16 mm long; style branches ± 15 mm long, crests 7-18 mm long. Capsules narrowly ellipsoid, 25-45 x ± 10 mm, tapering and narrowed in upper 4 mm into a beak. Seeds angular-prismatic, 2.5-3.0 mm at longest axis, in two rows per locule.