Watsonia spectabilis Schinz

Plants 200-500 mm high. Corm subglobose, 20-30 mm diam.; tunics coarsely netted. Stem usually simple. Leaves 3 to 5, lower 2 to 4 basal, upper leaf partly or entirely sheathing stem, reaching to base of spike or longer, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2-8 mm wide, midrib lightly thickened but margins not thickened; bract-like cauline leaves 1 to 3, progressively shorter, sheathing. Spike 2-to 5(10)-flowered; bracts herbaceous, green or flushed red, 20-40 mm long, inner ± as long or slightly longer, minutely forked apically. Flowers zygomorphic, bright red to pale orange, often translucent; perianth tube with lower part 18-22 mm long, not exserted from bracts, upper part horizontal, widening abruptly, subcylindric, 20-25 mm long, slightly compressed, oblique, up to 11 mm diam. at mouth; tepals lanceolate, acute, 30-35 x 7-12 mm, upper tepals connate ± 3 mm beyond lower, dorsal tepal hooded, upper laterals weakly spreading and lower tepals strongly recurved. Filaments unilateral and arcuate, 30-40 mm long, well exserted from tube; anthers 9-11 mm long, yellow or violet. Style dividing near anther apices, branches 5-6 mm long. Capsules large, obovoid to subglobose, 25-30 x 20-30 mm. Seeds 9-12 x 4 mm, with large pale wing, sometimes vestigial proximally.