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Description
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Plants (120–) 200–600 mm high. Corm globose-conical, 10–15 mm diam., producing thick, scaly rizomes 20–40 mm long, tunics of fine fibres or ± papery. Stem erect, usually simple, rarely developing cormlets in axils of lower leaves. Leaves 6–9, suberect, usually reaching to base of spike or shortly above, lanceolate, (40–)100–300 × (6–)8–20 mm, acute, soft-textured with moderately thickened main vein. Spike suberect or weakly deflexed, becoming erect or suberect in fruit, 2–6-flowered; bracts ovate, soft and herbaceous, green with dark reddish brown tips, 10–20 mm long, acute, inner 2/3 as long. Flowers 30–50 mm long, usually red, rarely pinkish red or pink, base of lower 3 tepals with darker red blotch, unscented; perianth tube cylindric below, expanded and funnel-shaped near apex, 20–30(–35) mm long, straight or slightly curved above; tepals subequal with inner 3 slightly larger and uppermost largest, suberect below and spreading above, oblanceolate, upper tepals 22–32 × 7–10 mm, lower 21–26 mm long. Filaments erect, unilateral, 15–25 mm long, inserted 3–4 mm below mouth of tube, exserted 12–20 mm or ± 6 mm long and exserted ± 2 mm; anthers 5.5–8.0 mm long. Style dividing between middle and apex of anthers, rarely . Capsules oblong, 8–10 × 7–8 mm, ± papillate. Seeds subglobose, 2.0–3.5 mm diam., with or without inflated chalaza and very short raphe, smooth or lightly wrinkled, deep orange or red when fresh but soon darkening. Flowering time: mainly Jan.–April; May and June subsp. occulta.
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