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Description:
Plants 150–300(–450) mm high. Corm subglobose or depressed-globose, 10–20(–30) mm diam., tunics of fine-textured fibres, extending in a papery or fibrous neck. Stem ± erect below, inclined above, uppermost cauline leaf, simple or up to 3-branched. Leaves 6–10, drying and brown at flowering, stiffly suberect or arcuate, ± reaching to base of spike, linear to linear-lanceolate, 50–150(–200) × (2–)4–6(–10) mm, acuminate to attenuate, firm, with main vein moderately thickened, secondary veins prominent and lightly thickened, cauline leaves smaller, entirely sheathing. Spike inclined, sub-secund, 3–7-flowered; bracts dry and papery, translucent below, pale brownish densely speckled with dark reddish brown above, outer (10–)15–30(–50) mm long, acuminate or attenuate-aristate, rarely with 3 acuminate tips held close together, keeled with strong median vein, inner slightly to much shorter than outer, bifid-aristate. Flowers zygomorphic, white or cream to pale pink with darker veins, lower 3 tepals with median red streak or narrow yellow mark outlined with red, unscented; perianth tube cylindric or narrowly funnel-shaped, (30–)35–60(–65) mm long, slender and straight but curved outward and widening in upper 10–20 mm to 8–10 mm diam.; tepals obtuse, uppermost largest, often suberect, others spreading distally, dorsal obovate, 17–25 × 10–15 mm, remaining tepals oblanceolate, 13–20 × 5–8 mm, without calluses. Filaments unilateral, arcuate, (13–)15–18 mm long; anthers 5–7(–9) mm long, apiculate, purple; pollen purple. Style dividing shortly below or beyond anther apices, branches 4–7 mm long. Capsules obovoid, 7–10 mm long. Flowering time: early to mid-December.
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