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Description:
Plants 200–500(–1000) mm high, with cataphylls purple mottled with white. Corm globose, 12–18 mm diam.; tunics leathery to ± woody, fragmenting into narrow strips or coarse fibres. Stem erect below, flexed outward above sheaths of 2 upper leaves, unbranched. Leaves 3, lowermost usually shortly exceeding spike, linear, (1–)3–9 mm wide, main vein lightly to moderately thickened, margins not or very little thickened, second leaf sheathing lower 1/2 of stem, channeled or with short blade, uppermost leaf inserted on upper 1/3 of stem, margins united below. Spike inclined, lightly flexuose, (1)4–6(10)-flowered; bracts pale green or greyish or flushed with purple, veins and margins translucent, outer 25–35(–65) mm long, inner shorter, lightly notched apically. Flowers pale to mid-blue to grey or pale yellow, rarely purple or pink, lower tepals with yellow band across upper third or yellow in lower 2/3, sometimes also streaked below and above with dark purple to blue, usually intensely scented of freesias or violets; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 13–16 mm long, lower cylindric part 5–7 mm long; tepals ovate to lanceolate, dorsal largest, arching forward, recurved apically, 24–30(–38) × (11–)17–20(–26) mm, upper laterals ±equal or slightly smaller, 22–34 × 14–18 mm, curving outward distally, lower 3 tepals joined to upper laterals for up to 5 mm and together for 4–6 mm, 18–25 × 7–13 mm, widest in upper 1/3, laterals deeply channeled below with margins ± vertical. Filaments 11–15 mm long, exserted 5–6 mm from tube; anthers 8–10 mm long, cream; pollen cream. Style arching over stamens, dividing near anther apices, branches 3–4 mm long. Capsules oblong to ellipsoid, acute, 20–25 mm long. Seeds oblong, 6–8 × 5–7 mm, broadly and evenly winged. Flowering time: June to mid September.
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