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Description:
Plants mostly 150–250 mm high. Corm conic, 10–20 mm diam.; tunics of fine-textured fibres, often extending upward in a fibrous or papery collar. Stem flexed outward, then suberect, often flexuouse, simple. Leaves 5–7, suberect, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, with long clasping base, often contracted above sheath into filiform, petiole-like portion up to 100 mm long, 30–120 × 2–7(–10) mm, acute or acuminate, slightly concve with margins curved inward, often ciliate, with prominent main vein raised on concave surface, cauline leaves smaller, entirely sheathing. Spike suberect or deflexed, secund-pectinate, densely 2–7-flowered; bracts dry-membranous, sometimes greenish and leathery below, upper margins dark reddish brown, outer 7–10(–12) mm long, irregularly 3-toothed with median tooth smaller or slightly lacerate, crisped upper margins crisped, inner subequal or slightly shorter, bifid. Flowers zygomorphic, almost salver-shaped, sometimes inverted, white flushed red on reverse of tepals, lower tepals with 2 short red lines near base, unscented; perianth tube cylindric, (17–)20–25 mm long, widening to 5 mm diam.; tepals subequal but upper 3 broader, oblanceolate or oblong, 12–18 × 7–10 mm, lower 5–7 mm wide, without calluses. Filaments unilateral, arcuate, 6–7 mm long, inserted 2–3 mm from mouth, shortly exserted; anthers ± 5 mm long, purple. Style 22–30 mm long, dividing opposite upper 1/2 of anthers, branches 3–4 mm long. Capsules shortly ellipsoid, 5–7 mm long. Flowering time: late August to September.
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