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Description:
Plants 300–500 mm high. Corm obconic, 15–18 mm diam.; tunics papery becoming ± fibrous. Stems flexed above sheaths of upper leaves, minutely scabrid, simple or occasionally 1-branched. Leaves usually 5, lower 2 or 3 basal, shortly exceeding stem, linear, 2–3 mm wide, ± oval in section and 2-grooved on each side with margins and main vein heavily thickened, a pair of secondary veins often evident, cauline leaves decreasing in size above, uppermost bract-like, mostly sheathing. Spike straight and erect, 8–20(30)-flowered; bracts pale-membranous, brown above at anthesis, margins rusty brown, outer lightly folded along midline, 14–18 mm long, inner shorter, forked. Flowers cream irregularly mottled with dark red, lower 3 tepals flushed yellow-green in lower 2/3 with veins showing dark red, tips of limbs flushed bright pink to red, unscented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, ± 9 mm long, lower cylindric part ± 4 mm long; tepals lanceolate, all distinctly clawed, dorsal largest, inclined over stamens, 18–20 × 12 mm, upper laterals ± 15 × 5 mm, limbs spreading, usually windowed between claws of dorsal and upper laterals tepals, lower tepals joined to upper laterals for ± 1.5 mm and together for ± 2 mm, free parts ± 8 mm long, claws ± 4 mm long, abruptly expanded at base of limbs. Filaments ± 13 mm long, exserted ± 9 mm from tube, spotted with dark red; anthers ± 5 mm long, tilting downward distally, olive-green; pollen white. Style arching over stamens, dividing opposite lower half of anthers, branches ± 2 mm long. Capsules oblong, 3-lobed above and retuse, 9–12 mm long. Seeds oblong, ± 5 × 2.5 mm, unevenly winged. Flowering time: mainly March and April, sometimes in May.
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