Plants consisting of leafy fans, closely bunched on short, highly branched rhizomes, joined by short stolons. Leaves (100–)500(–1400) mm × 2– 12 mm, the two surfaces similar; leaf bases pinkgreen; nerves many, median ones may be crowded to sometimes form a midrib; margins often finely scabrid; leaf in transverse section convex lensshaped, with two rows of vascular bundles present centrally, marginal vascular bundle present, sclerenchyma present on inside of leaf sheath. Inflorescences long, usually carrying flowers above leaves; peduncles also long. Panicle broad, much and openly branched, lower bracts long (40–130 mm), green and lanceolate, upper bracts narrow and pale brown, occurring singly; 1–6 flowers per branch. Pedicels slender but stiff, (10–)20–50 mm long, glabrous. Perianth bud often pigmented externally, equal to or twice as long as ovary, flowers 10–30 mm diam.; tepals all white internally, widely patent; outer tepals < ½ of inner, narrower, oblong-elliptical, boatshaped, with apiculus; inner tepals, unguiculate, distal portion orbicular and often overlapping outer tepals, cleft present at tips. Staminal filaments shortly connate; anthers c. 3 mm long, bright yellow, pollen sacs broad, connective narrow; pollen ellipsoidal, monosulcate, 28.5–45.6 × 17.1–36.1 µm. Ovary pyriform, small compared with perianth bud; style branches scarcely winged, pointing upwards. Capsule 6 –14 mm × 4–8 mm, tear-drop shaped, green, turning to black on maturity, fully dehiscing by shorter or longer loculicidal splitting, the longer valves often widely recurved. Seeds c. 1–1.5(–2) × 1–1.5 mm, rounded or sometimes angular if crowded, reticulate-foveolate, bright tangerine orange. Chromosome number: 2n = 6x = 114 (Blanchon et al. 2000a). FL Sep–Nov; FR Dec–Apr.

2n = 114

n = 57

n = 57

2n = 6x [c. 114]

Lfy fans closely bunched on short erect rhizomes, sts connected by narrow stolons. Lvs (10)–50–(80) cm. × 3–15 mm., the two surfaces similar; nerves ∞, the median ones inclined to be crowded and thickened; margins us. partly finely scabrid, occ. completely so. Peduncles long, us. carrying fls above lvs. Panicle broad, much and us. openly branched; upper bracts narrow and pale. Pedicels slender but stiff, often > 2.5 cm. long. In fl.-bud per. sts coloured externally, = or often > ovary. Fls 1.5–3 cm. diam.; tepals all white internally, widely patent; outer about half length of inner, and much narrower; inner orbicular to broad-oblong, shortly unguiculate, overlapping outer tepals very little to almost completely. Staminal filaments shortly connate; anthers c. 3 mm. long, strongly coloured. Ovary dark, smoothly rounded, small for size of per.; style-branches scarcely winged, pointing upwards. Capsule to 1.5 × 1 cm. but us. less, globose to long-pyriform, green or reddish green (occ. yellowish), turning almost black when full grown and mature and soon dehiscing by shorter or longer loculicidal clefts, the longer valves sts widely recurved. Seed c. 1.5–2 × 1.5 mm., rounded to angular, reticulate-patterned, dull brownish red to bright tangerine. n = 57.