stems erect, rather crowded, 4–7 in. high, 3/4–1 1/4 in. square, with compressed angles and concave sides, distinctly toothed, with erect rudimentary leaves 1–2 lin. long, green, with a distinctly visible dense velvety pubescence; flowers solitary or 3 together on a short stout peduncle, the two lateral (under cultivation) usually not developing, near the base of the young stems; pedicels 3/4–1 1/2 in. long, 2–2 1/2 (in fruit 5–6) lin. thick, velvety; sepals 5–7 lin. long, lanceolate, acute, velvety; corolla in bud ovoid, obtuse and slightly depressed at the apex, when expanded 5 1/2–6 1/2 in. in diam. with the lobes extended, velvety on the back; inner surface everywhere transversely rugose, with the apical 2/3 of the lobes glabrous and the basal part and disk covered with erect soft simple purple hairs, dull purple-red on the disk, marked with transverse pale yellow and dull purple lines on the basal half and entirely very dark purple-brown on the apical half of the lobes, the dark colour extending towards the base in a broad triangle; lobes 2–2 3/4 in. long, 1–1 1/4 in. broad, lanceolate; acute, somewhat narrowed at the base, much recurved, ciliate to their tips with long simple hairs, half directed inwards and usually pale purple, the others white; outer corona-lobes ascending-spreading, recurved at the tips, 2 1/2–3 lin. long, linear, linear-lanceolate or linear-oblong, acute, concave down the face, dull reddish-brown or dull purple at the base, ochreous at the apex; inner corona-lobes ascending-spreading, pale yellow or ochreous-yellow shading into dark purple-brown at the base, with the dorsal wing adnate usually from 2/3 to wholly (rarely for 1/2 or less) to the inner horn, very rarely free nearly or to the base, 2–4 lin. long, usually 1 1/2–2 (rarely 1) lin. broad, entire, obtuse to truncate, rarely acute or toothed at the apex; inner horn 3–5 lin. long, triquetrous-subulate, acute or 3-toothed at the apex, varying from scarcely longer to twice as long as the wing, nearly straight or slightly recurved at the tips; follicles parallel, 6–7 in. long, 1/2 in. thick, terete, tapering to the base and to the incurved-hooked apex, velvety-pubescent. null
