Moraea vallisbelli (Goldblatt) Goldblatt

Plants 150-300 mm high. Corm subglobose, 8-15 mm diam.; tunics of fine to medium-textured, wiry, black fibres. Stem sharply flexed above sheath of foliage leaf and of sheathing leaves, usually several-branched (rarely simple), sheathing leaves attenuate, 25-50(-80) mm long, lowermost occasionally ± leaf-like. Foliage leaf solitary, inserted well above ground level, linear, ± erect or trailing distally, exceeding stem, channelled, margins inrolled. Rhipidial spathes attenuate with dry brown apices, inner initially 3.5-5.0(-7.0) mm long, later elongating to enclose developing capsules, outer initially ± 1/2 as long. Flowers deep pink or pale yellow, with dark yellow nectar guides outlined in dark purple or green, tepal claws forming a wide cup, ± 8 mm deep, 10 mm wide at apex, including filament column, tepal limbs spreading; outer tepals ± 26 mm long, limbs 16-18 mm long, obovate, widest just below apex, claws ± 10 mm long, puberulous in lower part; inner tepals slightly shorter and narrower. Filaments united in a column 7-8 mm long, slightly narrowed toward apex, velvety in lower 2/3; anthers ± 4.5 mm long, diverging, slightly overtopping style branches, yellow; pollen yellow. Ovary 9-12 mm long, included, rarely partly exserted; style branches narrow, ± 3 mm long, crests vestigial. Capsules cylindric, 12-14 mm long, usually included. Seeds angular-prismatic.