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Description
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Plants 200–550 mm high. Corm 30–50 mm diam.; tunics of densely matted fibres, with long collar. Stem erect, unbranched or rarely with a solitary short erect branch, 2–2.5 mm diam. Basal leaves 1 to 3, usually green at flowering, blade linear or linear-lanceolate, 150–350 × 3–6(–)8 mm, acuminate, narrowed below, with 2 or 3(4) veins; cauline leaves 3 to 5, lowest linear and leaf-like, coincelaed by collar, upper 2 to 4 reduced to scales or vestigial. Spike moderately to densely ± 5–22-flowered, 5–120 mm long; bracts dry and brown, leathery or cartilaginous, ovate or oblong, outer 7–11 mm long, acute or obtuse, rarely mucronulate, inner slightly longer. Flowers zygomorphic, dingy or brownish pink somwtimes tipped with crimson, the lower three tepals with red median lozenge or streak, unscented; perianth tube narrowly funnel-shaped, 5–8 mm long, tepals unequal, dorsal larger, arched over stamens, apically recurved, oblanceolate-spathulate, clawed in lower 2/3, 20–23 × 3–5 mm, obtuse or emarginate, other tepals suberect and recurved in distal 1/3, 16–20 × 2–4 mm, upper laterals joined to lower laterals for ± 1 mm and lower 3 tepals joined at base for 3–5 mm. Filaments arcuate, later diverging, 12–14 mm long; anthers yellow, 4–6 mm long with short apiculus 0.5–1 mm long. Style ± 20 mm long, dividing opposite base to middle of anthers, branches 1.5–2 mm long. Capsules ovoid or subglobose, inflated, 20–25 × 10–15 mm. Seeds up to 6 mm long, winged on angles. Chromsosome number 2n = 30. Flowering time: Usually Feb.–Apr. but also at other times.
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