Perennial herb from a short ovoid rhizome 3-5 cm. long.. Roots with fusiform tubers 3-10 cm. long.. Leaves undeveloped or developing at anthesis; lamina narrowly elliptic, 17-36 × 2-4.5 cm., apex acuminate, base narrowly cuneate, quite glabrous; false petiole absent; ligule scarious, 6-35 mm. long; sheaths sulcate, glabrous, forming a well-developed pseudostem to 70 cm. tall.. Inflorescences arising at the base of the leafy shoot, 4-12-flowered, with a very short peduncle up to 2 cm. long, mostly below ground; bracts oblong, obtuse, ± 2.5 × 1 cm.; floral bracts oblong, obtuse, 3-4 × 1 cm.. Calyx tubular, shortly 3-lobed at the apex, 2.7-3.5(-5) cm. long, glabrous.. Corolla-tube 2.5-5.5 cm. long, 1-2 mm. in diameter; petals elliptic, 2.8-5.5 × 0.6-0.8 cm., whitish and translucent.. Labellum mauve to purple, 3-lobed, 5-11.5 cm. long; central lobe rounded and usually deeply emarginate, with a central deep yellow mark at the base; lateral lobes broadly triangular, obtuse.. Stamen (fig. 3/4) obovate to oblong, rounded and sometimes laciniate or retuse at the apex, up to 5 cm. long; anthers 8-9 mm. long.. Ovary obovoid, 5-7 mm. long, glabrous.. Fruit ± subterranean, subglobose, weakly 3-lobed, ± 1.5 cm. in diameter.. Seeds ± 6 × 2 mm., pale, shiny.
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A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It has short underground stems. They are 3-5 cm long. It has tuberous roots. These are 3-10 cm long. These give rise to annual stems. It grows 35-70 cm high. The leaves are broad and leathery. They are 17-36 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. The flowers are in spikes at the base of the plant. There are 4-12 flowers in a group. The flowers are red. The fruit are a flattened round shape with 3 lobes. They are almost under the ground. They are 1.5 cm across. The seeds are pale and shiny and 6 mm long by 2 mm wide.
Perennial herb, above ground parts annual; rhizomes segmented, conical, fleshy, yielding a strong ginger aroma when crushed; root tubers present. Leaves 4-8 on an unbranched stem up to 400 mm high. Flowers large and showy, throat purple-pink and yellow. Flowering time early summer.
Perennial herb with a thick aromatic rhizome. Stems usually short. Flowers arising at ground level, usually just as leaves appear. Corolla consisting of 3 crinkly petals: 2 smaller ones above and 1 larger lobe below. Flowers pale pinkish mauve.
A tropical plant. It does best in partial shade in a rich, fertile, moist soil. Bulbs need to remain dry in winter to avoid rotting. It grows as an under-storey herb in tropical savannah and dry forest. It grows between 390-1,830 m above sea level.
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