Plant to 24 cm high. Rootstock a small bulb, ovoid or pear-shaped, 1–1.5 cm in diameter, with rhizomatous base, covered by dry membranous brown leaf-bases. Leaves few, erect, linear, 6–10 cm long, 0.2–0.4 cm wide, apex obtuse to rounded, margin entire, base sheathing and persistent on bulb, glabrous. Scapes 1–2(–3) per plant, 7.7–20 cm long. Inflorescence an umbel with 5–10 flowers; spathaceous-bracts pinkish, membranous, unequal, larger bract 1.3–2.5 cm long, 0.3–0.4 cm wide, the smaller 1.3–1.5 cm long, 0.2 cm wide, lanceolate with long-attenuate apex, margin entire, base amplexicaul, the larger bract partially enclosing the smaller; pedicels 0.8–2 cm long. Perianth purple-mauve, tube 5–7(–8) mm long, lobes ovate to elliptic to obovate, 7–9 mm long, 2.3–3.2 mm wide, whorls set very close together, apex acute to obtuse, with 1 prominent median nerve; corona obscurely 3-lobed, each lobe separated from the next by a minute secondary lobe, annular or divided into fleshy scales, rose-pink, 0.4–1 mm long, margin subentire to shallowly lobate; anthers sessile, 0.8–1 mm long, one series of 3 inserted below corona, 0.2–2.5 mm from mouth of perianth tube, the other series inserted 3–4 mm from base of perianth tube and surrounding the style; ovary subglobose, 1.5–2 mm long, 1.8–2 mm in diameter; style ± 0.5 mm long, < 0.4 mm in diameter, not exserted; stigma capitate, subsessile, papillate. Capsule obovoid.
