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Description:
Plants250–300 mm high. Corm 15–18 mm diam.; tunics of coarse, dark, rigid fibres often covered with white, mealy substance. Stem erect, with short, lateral branches at upper nodes; with sheathing leaves ± as long as spathes; stem becoming loosely coiled in fruit. Foliage leaf usually solitary, linear, channelled, much longer than stem, erect below, trailing distally, 5–7 mm wide. Rhipidial spathes ± membranous, dry or sometimes green below, with prominent hyaline veins, inner 36–45 mm long, outer slightly shorter. Flowers fugaceous, dark blue, outer tepal limbs with white nectar guides at bases, limbs of both whorls half reflexed, with a strong spicy-sweet scent; outer tepals21–26 × 10–12 mm long, claws 8–9 mm, ± 1/3 as long as limbs, inner tepals ± 22 × 7 mm. Filaments 4.5–6 mm long, united for ± 1/2 their length; anthers 5–7 mm long. Ovary ± cylindric, 30–38 mm long, fertile part ± 10 mm long; style branches 8–10 mm long, crests ± 10 mm long, erect. Capsules narrowly ellipsoid, 15–18 mm long. Seeds lozenge-shaped, dark brown. Flowering time:October to mid November; opening 1:00–12:00, collapsing in late afternoon.
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