Corm broadly ovoid-subglobose, 0-5-1-5 cm in diam., with light brown thin papery tunics easily peeling off the firm white body; neck rather loose and indistinct. Stem usually tall and stout, above ground 10-40 cm long,1-5-5 mm thick. Leaves all cauline, 2 or seldom 3, indistinctly many-veined, long attenuate with slender tip from a broader sheathing base; lower leaf inserted near the stem base, 10-45 cm long, up to 7 mm wide near the base, involute so as to appear subterete, erect to suberect and somewhat flexuous; upper leaf (leaves) inserted about the middle of the stem, 10-40 cm long, with vaginate portion 3-10 cm long. Spike (2-)3-20-flowered, up to 15 cm long, usually lax with flowers spaced (0.2-)0.5-2(-3) cm apart, axis often somewhat flexuous. Perianth widely campanulate with erecto-patent-spreading segments, 8-16 mm long, white or greenish cream-coloured; perianth tube oblong, 2-6 mm long and 2-5 mm broad, with 3 veins on the connate part of each tepal and areas of thinner texture in between; free segments narrowly oblong-(ob)lanceolate, 6.5-12 mm long, 1-3.5 mm wide, somewhat unguiculate with a narrower basal portion, 7-9(-11)-veined with partly anastomosing veins, obtuse, marked below the middle with a distinct, deep red or purplish black, transversely oblong or often reniform or bilobed patch above the nectary. Nectary consisting of two sub-parallel round-backed elevations 2-3 mm long, separated by a narrow groove basally extended into a shallow pocket above the base of the filament. Filaments 3-5 mm long, white. Anthers oblong, 1-1.5 mm long, 0.6-1 mm wide, deep red to purplish brown or golden yellow. Pistil elliptic-oblong-ovoid, 5-10 mm long, green or sometimes with a purplish tinge; free styles subulate, usually slender, 2-4 mm long, whitish with small capitate stigmas, suberect. Capsule rounded-oblong-oblong-obovoid, c. 0.5 cm broad and 1 cm long incl. the c. 4 mm long subulate suberect or slightly erecto-patent styles. Seeds ellipsoid-subglobose, slightly angular, 1-1.5 mm long and c. 1 mm wide, brown, with a minutely reticulate surface and an obtuse submembranous appendage at one end.
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Geophyte, 0.27-0.40 m high. Corms subglobose, tunics light brown, papery, subterranean neck ± indistinct. Stem tall, stout. Leaves cauline 2(3); blade long attenuate, base broader, sheathing, apex slender. Inflorescence a spike-like cyme, 3-20-flowered. Perianth widely campanulate; segments 6, greenish cream-coloured; tube oblong; lobes narrowly oblong-lanceolate, unguiculate (clawed), honey mark deep-red or purplish black. Nectary of 2 subparallel elevations extending into shallow pocket above filament base. Stamens: filaments at base of perianth lobes, ± 1.5 mm long, white; anthers oblong, crimson to purple. Ovary elliptic-oblong; styles subulate; stigmas small, capitate. Flowering time Jan.-Mar. Fruit a rounded-oblong capsule; styles persistent, suberect.
Geophyte, up to 0.4 m high. Leaves 2 or 3, all cauline and basally sheathing stem; blade narrowly ovate, ± 450 mm long, apex attenuate. Flowers: in a spike, 3-20-flowered; perianth with tube oblong, 2-6 mm long, segment with nectary 2 round-backed elevations separated by a groove, white with shiny deep reddish purple or black patch in middle of each segment; musky smell; Jan.-May.
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