Plants mostly 150-250 mm high. Corm conic, 10-20 mm diam.; tunics of fine-textured fibres, often extending upward in a fibrous or papery collar. Stem flexed outward, then suberect, often flexuose, simple. Leaves 5 to 7, suberect, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, with long clasping base, often contracted above sheath into filiform, petiole-like portion up to 100 mm long, 30-120 x 2-7(-10) mm, acute or acuminate, slightly concave with margins curved inward, often ciliate, with prominent main vein raised on concave surface, cauline leaves smaller, entirely sheathing. Spike suberect or deflexed, secund-pectinate, densely 2-to 7-flowered; bracts dry-membranous, sometimes greenish and leathery below, upper margins dark reddish brown, outer 7-10(-12) mm long, irregularly 3-toothed with median tooth smaller or slightly lacerate, crisped upper margins crisped, inner subequal or slightly shorter, bifid. Flowers zygomorphic, almost salver-shaped, sometimes inverted, white flushed red on reverse of tepals, lower tepals with 2 short red lines near base, unscented; perianth tube cylindric, (17-)20-25 mm long, widening up to 5 mm diam.; tepals subequal but upper 3 broader, oblanceolate or oblong, 12-18 x 7-10 mm, lower 5-7 mm wide, without calluses. Filaments unilateral, arcuate, 6-7 mm long, inserted 2-3 mm from mouth, shortly exserted; anthers ± 5 mm long, purple. Style 22-30 mm long, dividing opposite upper 1/2 of anthers, branches 3-4 mm long. Capsules shortly ellipsoid, 5-7 mm long.
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Herb 30–65 cm high. Corm to 2.5 cm diam.; tunic of loose fibres forming a distinct neck. Leaves 4–8, linear-lanceolate, 8–40 cm long, 7–24 mm wide, soft-textured with 3–7 prominent veins. Spike flexuose, 4–10-flowered. Bracts oblong, 8–11 mm long, membranous, green with dark brown scarious apices. Flowers ± actinomorphic, cup-shaped, pale pink or rarely light vermillion, flushed deeper pink in centre. Perianth tube c. 1 cm long, narrow below, widely dilated at mouth; lobes obovate to broadly spathulate, obtuse, equal, 2.4–3 cm long, spreading, concave. Stamens irregularly spreading or unilateral; filaments curved, 10–12 mm long; anthers 5–8 mm long, yellow or purple. Ovary globose, c. 3 mm diam.; style exceeding stamens, branches filiform, c. 5 mm long. [This description from Cooke (1986) requires revision since it possibly includes elements of Tritonia crocata-see notes below-Editor, 22 October 2020.]
Cormous geophyte, 10-30 cm. Leaves narrow with inrolled margins and petiole-like base. Flowers in secund spikes, long-tubed, white with red markings, bracts small, obtuse, brown-edged.
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