Compilation
Hypoxis nitida

Perennial herb 16–50 cm tall. Rhizome stout, vertical 4–7 × 3.5–6 cm, turbinate to ± cylindrical, equatorially ringed by stout contractile roots. Leaves 5–15, trifarious, shiny green, erect at first soon becoming arcuate to ± straggling, conduplicate at least towards the base, overlapping and sheathing at the base, the sheaths with broad hyaline wings; lamina 10–70 × 0.6–3 cm (width measured when folded blades are spread apart and flattened), linear, gradually tapering to a narrowly acute apex, 35–70-ribbed with ribs uniformly broad and mostly very closely spaced, glabrous on both surfaces, or sometimes thinly loosely strigose-pubescent in young leaves, the margins and abaxial midrib conspicuously very densely matted white strigose, the hairs 3–6-armed (stellate) with ± flattened arms; outermost leaves reduced to membranous sheaths with or without blades, the entire outer surface obscured by a sericeous indumentum soon glabrescent; pseudostem up to 5 cm long and up to 12 mm in diameter. Inflorescences 1–4, usually overtopping the arcuate leaves, appearing before the leaves. Scapes up to c. 30 cm long, flattened in cross-section and up to 5 mm wide, ± densely white strigose particularly towards the apex and on the margins towards the base, the hairs unequally 3–6-armed (stellate) with 1–2 strongly developed arms directed to the apex and 1–2(4) arms directed to the base. Flowers 2–13, erect-ascending, in a raceme-like ± cylindrical arrangement 3–13 cm long; bracts 7–25(30) mm long, subulate to linear-lanceolate; pedicels ascending, the lower ones 5–20 mm long, the upper decreasing in length. Outer tepals (7)11–18(22) × 4–7.5 mm, lanceolate, ± involute on the margins, somewhat coriaceous, ± densely greyish-white strigose-sericeous to tawny hispid outside; the inner 10–14 × 6–10 mm, broadly elliptic to ovate, ± involute on the margins, membranous, glabrous, or the abaxial midrib strigose-sericeous; the indumentum hairs 3–6-armed (stellate) with one arm strongly developed, ascending and up to c. 5 mm long. Filaments 2–5 mm long, narrowly triangular; thecae 5–8 mm long. Style 1–2 mm long; stigma c. 3 mm long. Capsule 5–7 mm long and 5–7 mm in diameter, turbinate, circumscissile. Seeds black and glossy, 1.3–2 × 1–1.5 mm, ovoid; testa smooth or ± covered in closely-spaced incipient dome-shaped undulations, the cuticle smooth.