Plants 50-70 mm high. Corm moderately deep-seated, ovoid-conical, 10-20 mm diam.; tunics of fine-textured fibres, extending upward in a fibrous and papery neck. Stem subterranean, with up to 4 branches ± 10 mm long. Leaves 5 to 8, in a close fan, falcate, slightly succulent, 30-70 x 3-6 mm, acute, with translucent main vein, cauline leaves not exserted above basal fan, dry and bract-like. Inflorescence of up to 4, 1-flowered spikes hidden among leaf bases; bracts membranous or dry and papery, soon crumpled, translucent or pale straw-coloured translucent and finely stippled or speckled brown, 12-18 mm long, outer acute, soon lacerated, inner 2-toothed. Flowers zygomorphic, bright yellow, reddish in throat, lower tepals with red arrow-shaped mark and bright yellow median calluses; perianth tube funnel-shaped, (15-)18-25(-30) mm long, filiform in lower 8-10(-15) mm widening strongly in upper 1/2 to ± 8-10 mm diam.; tepals recurved distally, (15-)20-25 mm long, dorsal largest, obovate, 13-15(-18) mm wide, upper laterals oblanceolate, 8-10 mm wide, lower tepals oblanceolate, 5-7(-9) mm wide, each with long, crisped or undulate, crest-like callus on lower 1/2, 0.5-1.0 mm high, 8-10 mm long. Filaments unilateral, arcuate, 10-13 mm long, shortly exserted up to 5 mm; anthers 5-6 mm long, pale to mauve; pollen pale yellow. Style 25-33 mm long, dividing shortly beyond anthers, branches 3-4 mm long. Capsules inflated, ovoid-trigonous to ellipsoid-trigonous, 12-20 mm long.
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Cormous geophyte, 100-180 mm tall, stem mostly subterranean or concealed by the bracts. Leaves lightly falcate, in a tight fan. Flowers few in a crowded spike, bilabiate, bright yellow, perianth tube 15-24 mm, lower tepals each with a large tooth-like ridge.
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