Trachyandra laxa (N.E.Br.) Oberm.

Plants glabrous, up to 60 cm high. Roots many, somewhat fleshy or thin, often with a lanate pubescence of root hairs. Rhizome small, irregular, woody. Squamae narrow tubular, membranous, brown, several surrounding each leaf-and scape-base separately but none surrounding a shoot. Leaves many, terete, up to 40 cm long, 3 mm in diam., erect or drooping, often glutinous from secretions of sub-epidermal glands situated in longitudinal lines. Inflorescence a divaricate much branched raceme, branches either alternate or the first three arising trichotomously from a clavate apex, the following branches alternate, laxly flowered; bracts ovate, ca. 3 mm long, membranous, white with a brown keel; pedicels up to 6 mm long, erect in bud, pendulous during anthesis, erect in fruit. Flowers pendulous with perianth 1 cm in diam. Recurved from near the base, forming a “ball” around pedicel, white, dark keeled, with 2yellow spots near the base, scentless, producing much nectar; 3 outer stamens scabrid, 3 inner forming a tube, curving outwards above ovary and there yellow and densely, retrorsely scabrid; the basal area touching the ovary, smooth with lateral, and dorsal fringes; ovary with ca. 10 ovules per cell. Capsule ca. 6 mm long, globose, dry. Seed dark brown, angled.