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Description:
Plants mostly 400–600 mm high. Stem exposed above sheaths of lower leaves, branched from upper nodes, branches rarely also branched; distal 5–6 mm of upper internodes sticky, often with sand adhering. Leaves at base solitary or up to 4, sometimes basal leaf poorly developed; blades linear, straight, 4–6(–10) mm wide, with visible central vein, cauline leaves moderately well-developed, often longer than basal, progressively reduced above, becoming largely sheathing. Rhipidia 4–6-flowered; inner spathe 30–42 mm long, outer entirely sheathing, usually ± half to 1/3as long. Flowers on pedicels as long or longer than spathes; usually dark brown to dull purple or maroon; tepal limbs with pale yellow to gold margins, sometimes limbs marked or sparsely spotted yellow near base or with large irregular brown blotches on pale background; claws brown or yellow streaked with purple or brown, odourless; tepals diverging, claws forming wide cup ± 10 mm deep, 15–18 mm wide at rim, limbs spreading to ± reflexed; margins crisped; nectaries dark brown, 1.5 × 2.0 mm, 3–4 mm above claw bases; outer tepals 23–33 × ± 10 mm; inner tepals slightly smaller, claws tapering to narrow base. Filaments united in minutely papillate column, 8–11 mm long, free in upper 1.5–2.0 mm; anthers parallel, 5–6 mm long, shorter after anthesis, dark brown; pollen orange. Ovary narrowly ovoid, usually exserted, 5–7 mm long; style branches 2 mm long, dividing into diverging, fringed arms 2–3 mm long, fringes smooth or minutely papillate, 4–5 mm long; stigmas terminal on style arms. Capsules ovoid- to globose-truncate, mostly 12–18 mm long. Seeds glossy, brown, 4–5 mm long, ± 5-sided, facets separated by raised ridges, wrinkled. Chromosome number 2n = 40. Flowering time: mostly January to March, occasionally later; lasting a single day.
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