Plants 200-300 mm high. Corm globose, ± 20 mm diam.; tunics of densely matted brown fibres, with well-developed collar. Stem moderately slender, curved outward at ground level and then erect, unbranched, 1.0-1.5 mm diam. Basal leaves 3 or 4, green at flowering or outermost drying, blade linear to linear-lanceolate, acute, with 1 vein, 90-150 x 1-4 mm, contracted gradually into semiterete pseudopetiole 60-80 mm long; cauline leaves 3, lowermost concealed by corm collar, linear-conduplicate, ± 20 mm long, uppermost minute and scale like. Spike moderately densely 5-to 15-flowered, 60-120 mm long; bracts green at base but dry and brown above, leathery, oblong, outer bracts 5-6 mm long, acute, inner slightly longer, obtuse. Flowers zygomorphic, creamy white with apices of all tepals and outer surface of midline flushed dark brownish pink, acrid scented; perianth tube 3-4 mm long; tepals unequal, dorsal slightly larger, arching over stamens, crisped or undulate, base of lower tepals and mouth of tube minutely papillate, dorsal tepal linear, acute, 17-18 x 2.0-2.5 mm, upper laterals spreading horizontally, strongly clawed and recurved above, 10-12 x ± 1.5 mm, claw involute, 3-5 mm long, blade narrowly oblanceolate, acute, lower 3 tepals fused to one another for ± 2 mm, with short, involute claws up to 3 mm long, 13-15 x 2-3 mm. Filaments arcuate but later erect, 15-16 mm long, base of median filament minutely papillate; anthers yellow flushed reddish, 3 mm long with short apiculus 0.5 mm long. Style ± 20 mm long, dividing opposite anther bases, branches 0.5-1.0 mm long. Capsules much inflated, ovoid to subglobose, 8-12 x 8-15 mm. Seeds 4-5 mm long, winged on angles.
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