Detail

A compact bulbous herbaceous perennial. Bulbs are 3.5-4.5 cm diam at first flowering, maturing to 5.0 - 6.0 cm, producing 2-3 offset bulbs annually. Leaves are strap-shaped, green, two to four per bulb, 45-65 cm long, 5-6 cm wide. Scapes are 25-35 cm tall, usually 2 per bulb, each bearing 4-5 flowers per scape with pedicels 5-6 cm long. The flowers are relatively small, trumpet-shaped and emit an intense, persistent, sweet fragrance. The perianth is 9-11 cm long, laterally 10-11 cm and dorsoventrally 9-10 cm wide. The six tepals are of medium texture. The outer tepals are 8-9 cm long, and 3-4 cm wide; the inner tepals are 7.5-8 cm long, the inner laterals 3.5-4.5 cm wide; the ventral inner ca. 2.5 cm wide. The tepals are uniformly colored purple-red on both surfaces, with RHSCC red-purple 58A the closest match, with clear white keels that together form a large white star in the middle of the perianth. The throat is light green, with a short ring of fimbrae. The abaxial tepals are infused with light green proximally. Stamens are 9 to 10 cm long, white for most of their length, fading to green in the proximal 1.5 cm; pollen is yellow. The style is ca. 11 cm and similar in color to the staminal filaments; the white trifid stigma is ca. 7 mm wide.