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Description
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Plants mostly 250–350 mm high. Corm conic, 15–30 mm diam.; tunics of fine fibres, often extending upward in a fibrous or papery collar. Stem suberect or flexed outward, simple or 1-or 2-branched. Leaves 5–8, suberect, linear and grooved or almost quadrangular to lanceolate with four longitudinal flanges, thus H-shaped in section, with long clasping base, (50–)100–200 × (0.5–)2–10(–20) mm, acute or acuminate, with prominent main vein, margins sometimes ciliolate, cauline leaves smaller, entirely sheathing. Spike suberect or deflexed, secund-pectinate, densely 5–10-flowered; bracts dry and membranous, sometimes greenish below, upper margins dark reddish brown, outer 5–10(–13) mm long, irregularly 3-toothed with median tooth smaller or slightly lacerate, upper margins crisped, inner subequal or slightly shorter, bifid. Flowers zygomorphic, sometimes inverted, cream to pale apricot or pale to bright pink, lower tepals with a lozenge-shaped red or purple median marking sometimes with a yellow central stripe, unscented; perianth tube cylindric, widening gradually above, slightly curved, (30–)40–55 mm long, widening to 5–8 mm diam.; tepals unequal, dorsal largest, suberect, obovate-spathulate, 12–18 (–24) × 7–15(–20) mm, upper laterals spreading, 5–15 mm wide, lower 3 oblanceolate-spathulate, 4–9 mm wide, without calluses. Filaments unilateral and arcuate, 8–12(–16) mm long, inserted 2–3 mm from mouth of tube, exserted; anthers 4–6(–8) mm long, purple. Style dividing shortly below or ovove anther tips, branches 3–5(–7) mm long. Capsules shortly ellipsoid, ± 7 mm long. Flowering time: late mid- November to December.
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