Corm subglobose to ovoid, 1.5-3 cm in diam., usually lobed, with one or sometimes two ± vertical, basal lobes up to 1 cm thick and 4 cm long, with brown tunics. Old leaf-bases forming a sheath-like neck up to 12 cm long, sometimes rather thick and firm, many-layered. Cataphyll brownish (when dry), apically dilated, truncate or ovate, mucronate. Stem above-ground part short, only 2-5 cm high. Leaves 2-several, closely-set, together with the leaf-like bracts, on the short stem, suberect-erecto-patent, linear-lanceolate, 3-10 cm long, 3-10(-12) mm wide, distinctly channelled, glaucous, very undulate, sometimes crispately so. Raceme (1-)3-10-flowered, much contracted, hidden among the leaves and bracts. Bracts leaf-like, but successively narrower and shorter, much longer than the pedicels. Pedicels 1.5-3(-4) cm long, at first erect, soon becoming recurved, in the fruiting stage highly reflexed. Perianth actinomorphic, ± campanulate, 1-2 cm in diam. Tepals suberect or somewhat spreading, but not becoming reflexed, linear, 12-15 mm long, 1-2(-3) mm wide, broadest about the middle and somewhat involute, pale greenish, usually somewhat purplish towards both tip and base, with 6-9, usually faint, veins, subacute; claw indistinct, 1-1.5 mm long, adaxially broadly canaliculate. Nectary margin simple, concave. Filaments erect or suberect, ± straight, but apically curved, 7-11 mm long, 0.5-0.9 mm thick, thickest about or below the middle, uniformly white or light coloured, or apically somewhat purplish-brown. Anthers oblong, 2.2-3 mm long, 0.8-1.5 mm wide, slightly curved, light to medium brown. Styles 8-12 mm long, suberect, straight or rather flexuous, basally connate for a short distance (less than 0.3 mm), white or light-coloured, with a small apical stigma. Ovary oblong-obovoid, ca. 3 mm long and 1.5 mm broad, green. Capsule short, subglobose or transversely oblong-pyriform, 0.5-1.2 cm long, 0.7-1.5 cm broad. Seeds ca. 3-10, globose, 3-3.5 mm in diam., light-or chocolate-brown, lustreless, smooth (but at high magnification 'micro-reticulate-ruminate'), with a distinct keel-or wing-like raphe up to 0.4 mm high, chalaza often projecting further, up to 0.6 mm high.
More
Cormous geophyte, subacaulescent, stem up to 50 mm tall. Leaves 2-several, congested, linear-lanceolate, undulate or crisped. Flowers erect but nodding in fruit, actinomorphic, pale greenish, flushed purple, fruit-scented, tepals suberect, 12-15 mm long, nectary pouch-like; filaments slightly swollen medially, 7-11 mm long.
Home