|
Description:
Plants 300–600 mm high. Corm ovoid, 12–15 mm diam.; tunics leathery, becoming finely fibrous. Stem slender, usually lightly flexed above sheaths of leaves and inclined above, unbranched. Leaves 3, lowermost basal, sheathing lower 1/2 of stem, reaching ± upper 1/3 of stem, blade linear, (50–)80–120 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, plane and slightly succulent, margins and main vein not thickened or raised, remaining leaves inserted on upper 1/3 of stem, much shorter than basal and slightly narrower. Spike inclined, weakly flexuose, 1–4-flowered; bracts greyish green, relatively soft-textured, outer 20–30 mm long, often attenuate and twisted, inner slightly shorter to ± as long, usually minutely forked apically. Flowers pale blue-mauve to whitish barely flushed with mauve, lower lateral tepals with narrow, pale yellow median streak in lower half, all 3 lower tepals irregularly streaked and speckled with dark mauve, usually lightly violet-scented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 11–15 mm long, lower cylindric part 7–10 mm long; tepals lanceolate, dorsal 22–35 × 11–18 mm, extending ± horizontally over stamens, curved upward distally, upper laterals 22–33 × 10–15 mm, slightly spreading above, lower 3 tepals joined to upper laterals for 5–8 mm and together for 3–4 mm, laterals 16–28 × ± 6 mm, narrow below and becoming channeled toward base, lower median 18–28 × ± 9 mm. Filaments 11–12 mm long, exserted 5–7 mm from tube; anthers 8–10 mm long, pale mauve; pollen whitish. Style arching over stamens, dividing at or just beyond anther apices, branches ± 3 mm long. Capsules ellipsoid, 12–15 mm long. Seeds ovate, ± 6 × 4 mm, broadly and evenly winged. Flowering time: April and May.
|