Sandersonia aurantiaca Hook.

Herb with short-lived aerial system and perennial subterranean system. Rootstock a branched tuber, the aerial shoots arising from the most swollen part of the system near a node and from the same swollen part one, or more often two, terete tuber branches arise; brown scale leaves which completely sheathe the most swollen part obvious only on the previous season's major tuber, the remainder of the system pearly white in colour. Roots adventitious, branched, arising from tuber nodes. Aerial stems up to 75 cm tall, slender, simple or occasionally with a lateral branch from one of the axillary buds; basal part white, becoming purple above soil level and green above first photosynthetic leaf, glabrous, terete basally becoming longitudinally ridged above first leaf. Leaves cauline, the lowermost represented by a small purple-brown scale, the remainder numerous, green, exstipulate, glabrous, simple, alternate, sessile, ascending, lanceolate with entire, revolute margin, reflexed acuminate apex; with three major parallel veins prominent abaxially; 40-97 mm long, 9-21 mm broad. Flowers ebracteate, hypogynous, actinomorphic, solitary, arising laterally at each node on right-hand side of leaf as viewed from abaxial surface; in distal third of aerial axis; sub-secund; pedicel green, glabrous, cernuous, flattened adaxially, slender, 27-36 mm long; perianth bright orange, deeper in colour proximally than distally, glabrous, persistent, urceolate, with six distinct grooves proximally along lines of connation; tube of six connate segments, each segment very shortly spurred at the base, the six spurs clasping the pedicel; each spur with a bilobed crescent of nectariferous tissue internally at its mouth; spur 2 mm long, 1 mm broad at its mouth; perianth tube 24-25 mm long, dilated base 22-26 mm in diameter, mouth 12-15 mm in diameter; lobes 6, broadly triangular with minutely apiculate apex, recurved, 1.5-2 mm long, 5-7 mm broad. Stamens 6, free, equal, persistent; filaments pale orange, filiform, 5 mm long; anthers yellow, oblong, versatile, extrorse, bithecate with longitudinal dehiscence, 2-2.5 mm long. Ovary superior, pale yellowish-green, glabrous, sessile, ovoid-oblong, tricarpellary, trilocular, 4-5 mm long, 2.5-3 mm broad; ovules white, numerous, two-ranked in axile placentation; style terminal, persistent, trifid, yellowish-green; base terete, 2 mm long; branches linear, apically recurved with triangular-elongate rugose stigmatic surface on inner face, 3.5-4 mm long. Fruit an obtuse, trisulcate capsule enveloped in the perianth; seeds globose, verrucose with a distinct raphe; immature fruit a deeply 3-lobed capsule situated in and almost fully occupying the expanded base of the persistent, papery perianth tube; mode of dehiscence unknown.

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.