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Description:
Plants 300–600 mm high, with cataphylls purple mottled white or cream. Corm globose, 8–12 mm diam., with 2 to several slender stolons; tunics papery to membranous, decaying irregularly. Stem flexed outward and inclined above, simple or 1- to 3-branched. Leaves 5 to 7 or more if stem branched, lower sheaths mottled purple and cream, lower 4 to 6 basal, reaching to ± base or shortly exceeding spike, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–5 mm wide, main vein lightly raised, margins not thickened, cauline leaves smaller, uppermost leaf often sheathing only near base. Spike usually erect, lightly flexuose, (2)3–8-flowered; bracts dull green to somewhat purplish, outer 35–50(–60) mm long, inner shorter, acute or apically notched. Flowers bright scarlet, lower 3 tepals yellow in lower 1/2, unscented; perianth tube 35–45 mm long, narrow and cylindric in lower 15–22 mm, gradually expanded into wider cylindric, horizontal upper part, 20–23 mm long, ± 7 × 6 mm diam.; tepals with upper 3 lanceolate, dorsal largest, 23–28 × 8–10 mm, inclined slightly above horizontal, upper laterals joined to dorsal for 2–3 mm, 20–30 × 9–11 mm, lower tepals linear, laterals spreading at right angles to tube, straight or twisted, 12–19 × 2–3 mm, lower median slightly longer. Filaments 35–40 mm long, extended horizontally, exserted 8–12 mm from tube; anthers 7–9 mm long, dark purple; pollen pale yellow. Style extended horizontally, dividing opposite upper 1/3 of anthers, branches 3–5 mm long. Capsules ovoid-ellipsoid, rounded, ± 20 mm long. Seeds irregularly ovate, ± 6 × 5 mm, evenly or unevenly winged, seed body blackish. Flowering time: September and October, occasionally in August.
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