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Description:
Plants 340–600 mm high. Corm conic, ± 15 mm diam.; tunics firm-papery, fragmenting into firm strips or fairly coarse fibres. Stem erect, flexed outward above sheaths of upper 3 leaves, inclined in upper 1/3, unbranched. Leaves 4, lower 2 basal, lowermost sheathing lower 1/2 of stem, reaching to between middle and upper 1/3 of stem, linear, 1.5–2 mm wide, margins and main vein moderately thickened, second leaf sheathing stem to about upper third, blade shorter than basal, upper 2 leaves much shorter, lower margins united around stem. Spike flexuose, 1- or 2-flowered, inclined; bracts dull greenish grey with broad membranous margins, outer 26–35 mm long, inner slightly shorter, acute or minutely notched apically. Flowers deep mauve to violet, lower 3 tepals pale yellow in lower 1/2 feathered with dark violet, strongly scented of freesias and violets; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, ± 13 mm long, lower cylindric part enclosed in bracts; tepals lanceolate-attenuate, upper 3 larger than lower, subequal or dorsal largest, dorsal 30–33 × ± 16 mm, horizontal and concave, upper laterals 28–30 × 12–14 mm, curving outward distally, lower 3 tepals joined to upper laterals for ± 10 mm, slightly narrowed and channeled in lower 1/2, lower laterals 18 × 8 mm, lower median longer than lower laterals, ± 21 × 9 mm, all curving outward distally. Filaments ± 12 mm long, exserted 5–8 mm from tube but concealed in flower; anthers 10–11 mm long, pale cream; pollen whitish. Style arching over stamens, branching just below anther apices. branches ± 3.5 mm long. Capsules and seeds unknown. Flowering time: mid July to mid August.
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