Geophytic perennial herb, all parts with milky latex. Tuber carrot-shaped 50-160 x 9-25 mm, dry fibrous, white in colour; neck 36-81 mm long, usually with long, fine fibrous roots; ending abruptly in ±1 mm diam. basal tip to 300 mm long. Stems (100-)230-280 mm tall, re-sprouting annually, sparingly branched from the base, sometimes stems hilariously hairy with pilose to tomentose hairs from the base towards the tips, but less persistent on old stems; older stems more pronouncedly grooved, furrowed, pleated or ribbed and pilose all round. Leaves sessile, opposite throughout, 14-134 x 1-6 mm, narrowly lanceolate or linear, base attenuate, apex acute or attenuate, margins revolute; main vein prominent below, paler than blade, sometimes tinged purple-maroon above (usually only the basal leaves), leaves usually much longer than internodes; sparsely pilose above, usually glabrous below, but if very dense above (in few specimens) then sparingly pilose below along veins and margin, seemingly wan ting in mature leaves. Inflorescences axillary, umbellate, 3-7 per stem or branch, pendant in bud, erect at anthesis, 5-16-flowered; peduncle 14-43 mm long in flower (13-34 mm long in fruit, contorted), hilariously pilose; pedicels 3-6.5 mm long, hilariously pilose; bracts linear to narrowly triangular, (0.5)2.5-3.6 x 0.4-0.5 mm. Calyx narrowly triangular, 2.3-3.5 x 0.5-1.3 mm; glabrous above, below evenly pilose or with a patch towards the apex. Flowers 2.5-4.9 x 2.2-4.4 mm; corolla 3.4-4.9 x 0.8-1.2 mm, strap-shaped with an abruptly dilating and rounded apex; inside green, maroon, cream, pink or greenish-cream, usually paler inside; glabrous, but papillose on the recurved apex; very rarely sparsely pilose towards apex on outside, green, or cream-brownish, usually darker outside. Corona 22-2.5 x 0.8-0.9 mm, strap-shaped or slightly broader above base, furrowed, tongue-like, extending beyond the 'tube' (formed by the tight-packed basal sections of the corolla) bending out-and downwards between the diverging corolla lobes, yellowish, yellowish-green, dark yellow to orange; extending beyond the corolla tube at which point they curve downwards extending between the corolla lobes. Gynostegial column 2.4 x 1.7-1.8 x 1.5 mm in diam. Gynostegial head conical and involute at the apex, 0.61-0.62 x 0.91-0.92 mm, with prominent stype. Anthers: anther-wing 0.5-0.6 mm long, extending 0.1-0.2 mm from column, notch at base of wing. Pollinaria: pollinia 0.72-0.77 x 0.24-0.26 mm; caudicle 0.30-0.33 x 0.05-0.08 mm; corpuscle ovate, 0.31-0.40 x 0.1-0.2 mm. Fruit mostly solitary per inflorescence due to abortion of others, (20-)90-132 x 6-8 mm with an elongated beak ending in an abrupt snout; green, two shades of green in longitudinal direction alternating; densely tomentose when immature to finely pubescent when mature. Seed ovate, 4.5-7 x 2-4 mm, brown; coma 11-24 mm long, attached at blunt end of seed.
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