Plants aquatic, with corm and base of stem submerged, 300-500 mm long. Corm with a high crescent-shaped basal ridge. Stem 60-220 mm long, extending above water level. Basal leaves 2, terete, erect, 300-500 x 1-2 mm, with 6-8 narrow grooves. Bracts greenish or reddish green, outer with narrow, inner with wide colourless or fawn membranous margins. Flowers 25-32 mm long, buttercup-yellow, outer perianth segments with a median brown zone on the backs. Perianth tube 3-5 mm long, funnel-shaped; segments 15-25 mm long, outer c. 7 mm wide, inner 9 mm wide. Filaments 4-6 mm; anthers 6-8 mm long. Style 12-15 mm; stigmas at or just above the anther tips. Capsules subglobose, 3-lobed, on widely patent peduncles.
Cormous geophyte, stem 60-250 mm tall, corm with an oblique basal ridge. Leaves 3 or 4, lowermost 2 basal, narrowly 6-8-grooved, 1-2 mm diam. Flowers yellow or white with yellow cup and lower part of tepals, tepals obovate; bracts green, outer with narrow hyaline margins, inner with wide hyaline margins; fruiting peduncles widely spreading.
Cormous geophyte, 6-15 cm, corm with an oblique basal ridge, basal ridge fibrous, stem branching above ground. Basal leaves 2, blades 6-8-grooved. Flowers white or yellow with darker cup, fruits globose on sharply spreading pedicels.