Watsonia schlechteri L.Bolus

Plants 400-1000 mm high. Corm depressed-globose, 30-50 mm diam.; tunics coarsely netted. Stem usually simple, rarely with short erect branches. Leaves 3 or 4, lower 2 or 3 ± basal, uppermost leaf partly sheathing stem, 1/2-2/3 as long as spike, narrowly lanceolate, 6-15 mm wide, midrib and margins heavily thickened and hyaline; bract-like cauline leaves 2 or 3, sheathing. Spike (6)12-to 30-flowered; bracts herbaceous and reddish below, becoming dry and brownish apically, 18-30 mm long, inner enclosed, greenish, up to 17 mm long, entire or forked apically for 1-2(-5) mm. Flowers zygomorphic, bright reddish orange or occasionally deep pink, paler in tube; perianth tube with lower part 17-20 mm long, included or shortly emerging from bracts, upper part ascending to horizontal, subcylindric, 22-30 mm long, ± 9 mm diam. at mouth; tepals obovate-oblong, 20-24 x 12-15 mm, all spreading widely. Filaments unilateral, arcuate, 35-45 mm long, well exserted from tube; anthers 7-10 mm long, violet. Style dividing between middle and apex of anthers, branches ± 6 mm long. Capsules subglobose to obovoid, up to 10 mm long. Seeds elongate-angular, 4-5 x 2 mm, distal end ridged or shortly winged.