Geophytic perennials with short stout underground stems (up to 15 cm long, 5 cm diam.) with thick tuberous roots, covered with peeling brownish bark, bearing few erect leaf-bearing branches (less than 1 cm thick and 1.5 cm long) which remain beneath soil surface. Leaves up to 10 per plant, ovate to spathulate, up to 6 cm broad and 8 cm long, cuneate (often tapering abruptly to base, usually in less than 20 mm), with small sometimes acute tip (when leaf ovate) but mostly obtuse to emarginate at apex, dorsiventrally flattened, from very slightly folded along main vein to deeply concave on dorsal and convex on ventral surfaces, ascending, sparsely covered with trichomes, green, with basal abscission layer. Inflorescence a rigid erect thyrse 15-30 cm tall, divided in upper 8-10 cm into 2-4 monochasia, bearing 8-20 flowers, not persistent for more than 1 year; peduncle with ascending linear-acute bracts usually still green during flowering, glandular pubescent; pedicels (6) 10-14 mm long, glandular pubescent. Calyx 3-4.5 mm long, green, glandular pubescent; lobes 1-1.5 mm broad at base, dorsiventrally flattened, usually adpressed to corolla for at least half of length (apices sometimes spreading), linear-acute. Corolla glandular pubescent and pale green outside; tube cylindrical, 12-14 mm long, 5 mm broad around middle, constricted to 4 mm at mouth, interior bright yellow-green with few scattered spreading hairs only around base of filaments; lobes 2.5-3 mm long, reflexed with apex adpressed to corolla tube, margins slightly folded inwards, deep maroon becoming paler towards apex, inner surface glabrous. Stamens 9-10 mm long; anthers 1.5 mm long, slightly exserted from mouth of tube; filaments straight, with fine spreading hairs where joined to corolla tube. Squamae rectangular, 1.2 x 1 mm, narrowing towards apex, emarginate, fleshy, translucent-white. Carpels angled in cross-section, gradually constricted into erect slightly exserted truncate expanded terminal stigmas, glabrous, ovary with about 15 ovules.
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