Plants consisting of leafy fans crowded or emerging at intervals from far-spreading horizontal stolons, c. 3 mm diam., yellow in colour. Leaves 130–700 mm × 3–9 mm, the two surfaces similar; often +/– copper coloured where exposed to full sun; nerves many, the median ones crowded and coloured red or orange; margins usually not scabrid; leaf in transverse section convex lens-shaped, two rows of vascular bundles present centrally, marginal vascular bundles present, sclerenchyma present on inside of leaf sheath. Peduncles short, inflorescences usually not carrying flowers or fruits above leaves. Panicle narrow, but usually closely branched, lower bracts long (40–170 mm), lanceolate, often brown, upper bracts shorter and brown, occurring singly; 1– 7 flowers per branch. Pedicels stout, c. 14–40 mm long, glabrous. In flower bud, perianth often brownish externally, similar size or slightly larger than ovary. Flowers 10–25(–30) mm diam.; tepals all white internally, widely patent; outer tepals usually > ½ the length of the inner, narrower, oblongelliptical or oblong, flattened, without apiculus; inner tepals obovate-elliptical, shortly unguiculate, usually leaving most of outer tepals visible, cleft present at tip. Staminal filaments very shortly connate; anthers c. 3–3.5 mm long, dark yellow-brown, pollen sacs broad, connective also broad; pollen ellipsoidal, monosulcate, 26.6–38.0 × 15.2–30.4 µm. Ovary cupiform, green; style branches narrowly winged, pointing outwards. Capsule 6–15 mm long, 4– 10 mm diam., ovoid-barrel-shaped, ripening from green to orange, yellow, or black on maturity, often indehiscent for a year after ripening, seeds released after capsule disintegrates. Seeds c. 1.0–1.5 mm diam., subglobose, surface texture reticulatefoveolate, orange or orange-brown. Chromosome number: 2n = 6x = 114 (Blanchon et al. 2000a). FL Oct–Jan; FR Jan–Dec.

n = 57

2n = 6x [c. 114]

n = 57

2n = 114

Lfy fans crowded or emerging at intervals from far-spreading horizontal rhizomes c. 3–4 mm. diam. Lvs 15–70 cm. × 5–15 mm., the two surfaces similar; often ± copper-coloured where exposed to full sun; nerves ∞, the median ones us. crowded and thickened, sts, like lf-margin, more brightly coloured than other parts of lamina. Peduncles short, us. not carrying fls or frs above lvs. Panicle narrow, much but us. closely branched; upper bracts often brown. Pedicels stout, mostly c. 1.5–3 cm. long. In fl.-bud per. sts brownish, c. = ovary. Fls c. 2 cm. diam.; tepals all white internally, widely patent; outer us. more than half length of inner, narrower but relatively broad and obtuse at tip; inner ± orbicular, shortly unguiculate, us. leaving most of outer tepals visible. Staminal filaments very shortly connate; anthers c. 3–3.5 mm. long, dark orange-brown. Ovary green, smoothly rounded, us. tapered to pedicel; style-branches very narrowly winged. Capsule us. < 1 cm. diam., ± pyriform, turning brown or sts yellow when immature, then black, and us. remaining undehisced until next season's fls are produced. Seed c. 1.2 mm. diam., subglobose, reticulate-patterned, light brownish. n = 57.