Deciduous geophytes, 80-150(-180) mm tall in flower. Tuber: turnip-shaped, elongated or moniliform, with flaking dark brown periderms, 15-35 x 12-15 mm. Leaves: radical, green, erecto-patent, pinnately compound, petiolate; lamina regularly pinnate to bi-or tripinnate, elliptic in outline, 20-45 x 20-35 mm, pinnae obtrullate, 10-25 x 8-15 mm, irregularly incised, segments 1.5-3.0 mm wide, obtuse, ending with a single hair, adaxially sparsely hirsute, abaxially hirsute along main veins, margins ciliate; petiole 20-45(-80) mm long, 1.5-2.0 mm diam., rigid, erecto-patent, densely hirsute with long and short, usually appressed hairs; stipules 9-15 mm long, subulate, adnate to petioles for half their length, ciliate. Inflorescence: scape 10-70 mm long, branched, bearing 2-6(-9) pseudo-umbellets with 3-6(-11) flowers each; peduncles 25-90(-140) mm long, 1-2 mm diam., densely covered with short glandular hairs interspersed with very long stiff patent hairs visible to the naked eye; bracts lanceolate, 5-8 mm long, recurved, adaxially and abaxially hirsute; flower buds, flowers and fruits erect. Pedicel: ca. 0.5 mm long. Hypanthium: 26-38(-50) mm long, 3-5 times the length of the sepals, green to reddish green, densely covered with short glandular hairs interspersed with long stiff patent hairs. Sepals 5, posterior one erect, others recurved, lanceolate, 7-10 x 1.5-3.0 mm, apices acute, pale reddish brown to green, indumentum abaxially as on hypanthium. Petals: 5, yellow, patent, flowers bellshaped during anthesis; posterior two with wine-red featherlike markings, spathulate, 16-26 x 3.5-8.0 mm, length/width ratio 2.7-5.0, apices rounded, truncate to emarginated, slightly recurved; anterior three without markings, spathulate, 11-21 x 2.5-6.0 mm, apices rounded. Stamens: 10, basally connate, staminal column 1.5-2.0 mm long, smooth, white; perfect stamens 5, concealed in the floral sheath, posterior one 2.5-3.0 mm long, lateral two 3-5 mm long, anterior two 4.5-6.5 mm long, shorter than the sepals, white; staminodes 2-3 mm long; anthers dark red, 1.5 mm long, pollen orange. Gynoecium: ovary 3-4 mm long; style 1.0-2.5 mm long; stigma with 5 recurved branches, 1.0-1.5 mm long, adaxially dark pink. Fruit: bases of mericarps 5-6 mm long, with glandular hairs, tails 25-34 mm long. Flowering time is from late September to November when leaves are dying or after leaves have died, although in the Botanical Garden at Stellenbosch flowers appear while leaves are still present.
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