Geophyte, up to 300 mm tall, aggregated into clumps. Bulb irregularly ovoid, with contractile root, 30-50 x 10-6 mm, apical beak a third to half of total bulb length, with prominent ridges that are crenate in cross section, young bulbs triangular in cross-section, with three prominent ridges, tunics pale to blackish-brown, glabrous, surface pattern finely reticulate. Rhizome vertical, thin, white, 30-40 mm long, adventitious roots along entire length, glandular-hairy, upper rhizome nodes with pale, glabrous, semi-amplexicaul scales; sheath absent. Above-ground stem absent. Leaves many per plant, arranged in a flat, prostrate basal rosette, trifoliolate; petioles variable in length, up to 100 mm long, finely to sparsely hairy over entire length; leaflets distinctly petiolulate, obcordate, 6-10 x 6-14 mm, both surfaces glabrous to sparsely hairy along main veins, margin hairy. Peduncles 1-5 per plant, each with 2-4 terminal flowers, more than twice as long as petioles, up to 250 mm long, at least twice as thick as petioles, sparsely hairy; bracts very variable on the same peduncle, shortest 1-4 mm, longest up to 13 mm long, smaller bracts linear-lanceolate, hairy, bicallose, with acute to rounded apices, large bracts distinctly spathulate, hairy, with calli scattered across both surfaces, becoming more densely callose towards margins, with acute to rounded apices. Pedicels slender, about as thick as petioles, sparsely hairy, 20-45 mm long when mature. Sepals 6 x 1 mm, lanceolate, apex acute, with two small, orange calli, sparsely hairy. Corolla 18-22 mm long, yellow or cream with long, narrow, flask-shaped, light yellow tube, tube usually more than half the length of corolla, petals oblanceolate, apex truncate, glabrous, ecallose. Stamens in 3 series, 2 per plant, shortest 3.5-4 mm, middle 4.5-5 mm and longest 6.5- long, basally connate; anthers oblong, yellow; filaments pale, glabrous; filament teeth 2.2 mm long from base, apically acute. Ovary 3.0 mm long, narrowly ovoid, densely hairy on upper half, with few scattered hairs on lower half, 5-locular with many ovules per locule; styles 5, separate, in three series with one series per plant, shortest level 3.5 mm long, middle 5 mm, longest 7.5 mm, erect, densely hairy; stigmas green, fimbriate. Fruit and seed not seen.
Home