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Description:
Plants 300–600 mm high, forming small clumps. Corm sub-globose, 20–30 mm diam.; tunics coarsely netted. Stem erect, simple. Leaves 3 or 4, lower 2 basal, ± half as long as stem, narrowly lanceolate, 4–12 mm wide, glaucous with bluish tinge, midrib and margins thickened and hyaline, uppermost leaf or leaves smaller and inserted on lower part of stem, largely sheathing and becoming bract-like; bract-like cauline leaves 2 or more, inserted on upper part of stem, overlapping. Spike 3 to 8-flowered; bracts green and herbaceous flushed purple, becoming dry and brown apically, 17–25 mm long, clasping stem in lower half, up to 1.5 internodes long, inner shorter and concealed, acute. Flowers zygomorphic, mauve or purplish pink with whitish throat and darker median streak near base of tepals; perianth tube with lower part 15–20 mm long, included or shortly exserted from bracts, upper part horizontal and funnel-shaped, 7–10 mm long, ± 6 mm diam. at mouth; tepals spreading distally, obovate, 20–22 × ± 7 mm. Filaments unilateral and arcuate, 6–10 mm long, included or just reaching mouth of tube; anthers ± 9 mm long, purple. Style arching over stamens, dividing near apex of anthers, branches slender and not recurving, 3–4 mm long. Capsules narrowly obovate-truncate, 10–13 mm long. Seeds elongate-angular, usually with wing-like ridge at distal end, 5–6 × ± 2 mm. Flowering time: September to October.
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