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Description:
Plants mostly 200–500 mm high. Corms 16–20 mm diam.; tunics dark brown, finely netted, extending upward in a thick collar around base. Stem (4)5–8 internodes long, branched, sometimes with 1 or 2 longer branches from lower nodes, upper nodes bearing ± sessile rhipidia or branches short and concealed by attenuate sheathing leaves, mostly 35–45 mm long. Foliage leaf solitary, usually exceeding stem, channelled to ± flat, 4–9 mm wide, falcate or trailing distally, sometimes twisted or loosely coiled distally, margins pale, thickened, straight or undulate, occasionally partly crisped, (juvenile leaves straight or somewhat twisted, narrowly channeled, to 2 mm wide, or terete). Rhipidial spathes becoming dry at flowering time, often lacerated, inner 40–60 mm long, outer ± 10 mm shorter. Flowers fugaceous, pale blue or white to pale watery yellow, outer tepal limbs with long yellow to orange nectar guides white in middle at bases, faintly scented; outer tepals 34–45 mm long, limbs mostly 15–22 × 10–16 mm, half reflexed, claws ± as long or slightly shorter than limbs; inner tepals 30–36 mm long, limbs reflexed. Filaments 12–14 mm long, united in lower half; anthers 6–9 mm long, slightly exceeding stigma lobe, pale mauve; pollen white. Ovary ± cylindric, 8–10 mm long; included, style branches 8–15 mm long, crests ± lanceolate, 12–18 mm long. Capsules ellipsoid, mostly 12–14 mm long, with short beaked up to 1 mm long. Seeds angular. Chromosome number 2n = 20. Flowering time: September to October; opening after 15:00 and sometimes only after 16:00, collapsing soon after sunset.
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