Deciduous geophytes, 150-240 mm tall in flower. Tuber: turnipshaped, sometimes moniliform, with flaking dark brown periderms, 15-25 x 5-18 mm. Leaves: radical, green, erecto-patent, pinnately compound, petiolate; lamina varies from simple with entire to lacerate margins to pinnatilobed, pinnatipartite or bipinnatipartite, ovate to broadly elliptic in outline, simple leaves or large pinnae 10-100 x 10-90 mm, obtuse, adaxially and abaxially sparsely hirsute with long appressed hairs; petiole 30-100 mm long and 1.5-2.0 mm diam., rigid, erecto-patent, hirsute with stiff hairs interspersed with short glandular hairs; stipules 6-20 mm long, subulate, adnate to petioles with apices free, ciliate. Inflorescence: scape 10-160 mm long, branched, bearing 2-6(-10) pseudo-umbellets with 3-9(-13) flowers each; peduncles 30-150 mm long, 1-2 mm diam., densely hirsute with appressed curly hairs interspersed with long glandular hairs; bracts lanceolate, 3-4 mm long, abaxially hirsute with stiff hairs interspersed with glandular hairs; flower buds, flowers and fruits erect. Pedicel: ca. 0.5 mm long. Hypanthium: 20-52 mm long, 2.5-6.2 times the length of the sepals, pale green, densely hirsute with appressed curly hairs interspersed with long glandular hairs. Sepals 5, posterior one erect, others reflexed, lanceolate, 7.5-11.0 x 1-3 mm, apices acute, pale green with margins white, indumentum abaxially as on hypanthium. Petals: 5, cream-coloured or pale yellow, patent with apices of posterior two curved backwards; posterior two with wine-red feather-like markings, spathulate to narrowly spathulate, 16.5-28.0 x 3-5 mm, length/width ratio 4-6, apices rounded or emarginate; anterior three without markings, narrowly spathulate, 13.0-25.5 x 2-5 mm, apices rounded or emarginate. Stamens: 10, basally connate, staminal column 1-2 mm long, smooth, white; perfect stamens 5, concealed in the floral sheath, posterior one 2-3 mm long, lateral two 3-5 mm long, anterior two 5-8 mm long, shorter than the sepals, white; staminodes 1.5-3.5 mm long; anthers pale pink, 1.5-2.2 mm long, pollen orange. Gynoecium: ovary 2-4 mm long; style 0.5-5-2.0 mm long, pale pink; stigma branches 1.0-2.5 mm long, pale pink. Fruit: not seen. Flowering time is from October to December.
Home