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Description:
Plants variable in size, 120–850 mm high. Corm 13–18 mm diam., or larger if surrounded by accumulated tunic layers; tunics of coarse, dark brown to blackish fibres. Stem with simple or with 1–3(–6) long, diverging secondary branches, straight to slightly flexuose, bearing sessile lateral rhipidia sessile at upper nodes, each partly to almost entirely enclosed by subtending shethaing leaf, usually as long or longer than rhipidia. Foliage leaves usually (1)2 or 3(4), ± basal, linear, ascending, longer than stem, trailing distally, channeled with margins curving inward, occasionally loosely coiled above. Rhipidial spathes partly to entirely dry and pale at anthesis, attenuate, inner 22–30(–37) mm long, 1/2–2/3 as long. Flowers fugaceous, rotate, pale yellow, with tepals united below in a closed tube, upright or secund, evidently odorless, tepal limbs with deeper yellow nectar guides at bases; perianth tube cylindric, narrow, usually slightly curving outward, 4–7(–9) mm long, usually included; tepals 14–25 (subsp. virgata), 23–32 (subsp. karooica) mm long, with short, erect claws 1.0–1.5 mm long, limbs extended horizontally, 4–8(–11) mm wide; outer larger, lanceolate to ovate, inner lanceolate to wedge-shaped. Filaments 3.3–6.0 mm long, united for 1–2 mm; anthers initially 6–9 mm long, yellow; pollen yellow. Ovary 8–16(–20) mm long, upper 1-2 mm a narrow, sterile beak, cylindric, included, on pedicels 5–6 mm long; style branches divided almost to base in paired filiform arms 5–6 mm long, extending horizontally. Capsules narrowly ellipsoid, shortly beaked, 9–13 mm × 2–3 mm (subsp. virgata), or 16–22 mm × 4 mm (subsp. karooica), only 1 (rarely 2) developed in each rhipidium. Seeds narrowly angular, 1–2 × 0.7–1.0 mm. Chromosome number 2n = 12, 10 (subsp. virgata), or 2n = 14 (subsp. karooica). Flowering time: (late September)October to December(mid January); opening 15:00–15:30 (up to 16:00 on cooler days), collapsing after 18:30.
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