Plants 400-750 mm high. Corm 25-40 mm diam., tunics of densely matted fibres, with thick collar. Stem stout, often ± flexuose, unbranched, 2.5-4.0 mm diam. Basal leaf usually 1, dry at flowering, contracted abruptly into slender, terete pseudopetiole 200-300 mm long, blade lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 200-350 x 7-11 mm, acute, obliquely cuneate at base, with 2 or 3 veins; cauline leaves 6 to 8, ± loosely overlapping, dry and brown, linear-attenuate, entirely free, closely involute and appearing terete, (50-)100-300 mm long, uppermost closely associated with spike. Spike compact, densely many-flowered, 80-140 mm long; bracts dry brown at flowering, leathery, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, outer bracts 10-15 mm long, acute or subobtuse, inner up to 10 mm longer than outer. Flowers zygomorphic, bright red or scarlet, 3 lower tepals sometimes with dark red or black median mark in lower part, unscented; perianth tube dimorphic, geniculate, slender and erect below abruptly widened at bend, cylindric and ascending or horizontal above, 25-40 mm long with lower part 8-15 mm long; tepals unequal, dorsal largest, suberect at first but later reflexed, others recurved and ± twisted or coiled, dorsal oblanceolate, 15-25 x 5-8 mm, upper lateral tepals elliptic to oblong, 12-20 x 5-7 mm, lower tepals ± as long as upper laterals or slightly shorter, 10-18 mm long. Filaments arcuate but later recurving, inserted at base of upper part of tube, 20-37 mm long; anthers yellow, 6-10 mm long with short apiculus 0.5-1.0 mm long, submedifixed. Style 30-60 mm long, dividing just below anther apices, branches 1.5-2.0 mm long. Capsules ellipsoid or obovoid, woody, 12-14 x 8-10 mm long. Seeds 5-6 mm long, winged at apex and base.
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Like T. burchellii but flowers smaller, tube 25-30 mm and tepals subequal, to 12 mm.
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