|
Description
:
Plants 300–700 mm high. Corm 30–60 mm diam.; tunics of densely matted fibres, with long collar. Stem erect, unbranched or rarely with single short erect branch, 2–3.5 mm diam. Basal leaves 1 to 3, usually green at flowering, blade linear or linear-lanceolate, 150–600 × 3–8 mm, acuminate, narrowed below, with 3 or 4 veins; cauline leaves 3 to 5, lower 2 or 3 subulate, upper 1 or 2 reduced to scales or vestigial. Spike moderately densely ± 5–18-flowered, 70–150 mm long; bracts dry and brown, leathery or papery and fairly soft, oblong or ovate-oblong, outer 6–16 mm long, acute or mucronulate, inner slightly longer. Flowers zygomorphic, pale to deep pink, lower 3 tepals with red median lozenge or streak flanked by white streaks, unscented; perianth tube narrowly funnel-shaped, 6–11 mm long, tepals unequal, dorsal larger, arched over stamens, recurved apically, oblanceolate-spathulate, clawed in lower half, 23–33 × 5–8(–12) mm, obtuse, other tepals recurved in distal half, 18–25 × 5–9 mm, upper laterals joined to lower laterals for ± 1 mm and lower 3 tepals joined at base for 5–7 mm. Filaments arcuate, later diverging, (15–)17–20 mm long; anthers 5–7 mm long, pink or yellow, with acuminate or bifid, often recurved apiculus 1–2 mm long. Style 26–28 long, dividing opposite middle of anthers, branches 3–4 mm long. Capsules ovoid, slightly inflated, 15–20 × 8–10 mm. Seeds up to 5 mm long, winged on angles. Chromsosome number 2n = 32. Flowering time: (Feb.–)Apr.–May.
|