Plant at flowering up to 60 cm tall, usually less. Leaf solitary, up to 36 × 1.5 cm, linearlanceolate, sub-erect, shallow-concave with exterior ridges on mature plants, usually green, often with reddish margins and base. Stem slender to moderately robust, blue-green; basal sheath up to 30 mm long, pale, truncate, mucronate; stem bracts usually 2, 20-90 × 3—6 mm, lanceolate, sheathing in basal half to two thirds, occasionally with a third leaf-like bract at base up to 150 mm long. Floral bracts 10-20 × 3-6 mm, lanceolate. Flowers 1-15, 10-15 mm diameter, pale to strong mauve, on short pedicels. Ovary slender,oblanceolate, terete, 5-10 × 3-5 mm. Perianth cupped, parts ovate, apiculate, up to 12 × 5 mm; sepals narrower than petals; petals minutely papillate externally. Column up to 5 mm tall, erect, concave in side view, pale purple with yellow striae and a narrow purple band near the top. Post-anther lobe as high or exceeding the anther, tholiform, not cucullate, bright yellow, margin irregularly denticulate. Column arms ± terete, horizontal or upturned, with short, dense, globose tufts of white cilia. Anther erect, apex usually pointed, sometimes curved forward; pollinia white, in two pairs, friable, with monad pollen. Stigma short, broad, ± concave, bilobed above; rostellum orbicular, very prominent (Fig. 1). Capsule 10-15 × 5-7 mm, elliptic, green.

T. aemula subsimilis. Lobus medius columnae haud cucullatus, tholiformis, vividi-flavus, margines supra denticulati. Lobi antici absentes. Cilia loborum lateralium, alba densa caespitosa.