Information

Erect perennial herb (4)10–30 cm tall. Tubers 1–5, subspherical, 1.7-2.5 × 2-3 cm, up to c. 20 cm below ground on a slender vertical underground stem. Stem leafy, simple or sometimes with up to 3 branches from axils of the lower leaves, ± flexuous, ± strongly longitudinally ribbed at least above, glabrous, scabrid, or with scattered short recurved prickles. Leaves cauline, becoming progressively larger and congested towards the stem apex, sessile, (2)7-17 × 0.2-1 cm, linear to linear-lanceolate, acute or ± gradually tapering to the apex, occasionally slightly cirrose at the tip, with recurved prickles 0.75–c. 1 mm long on the midvein beneath and/or on the leaf margin, or prickles absent; lowermost leaves 0.7-1.2 cm long, membranous. Peduncles 2-5 cm long, ascending, smooth, scabrid or with minute prickles; bracts 5-17 × 0.5-2.5 mm; pedicels deflexed. Tepalspure white to pink, mauve, purple or blue, spreading, 6-15 × 2-5 mm, ovate, acute, 5-7-veined, free to the base, ± recurved at the tips, outer segments slightly longer than the inner. Filaments 0.5-1 mm long. Anthers 4-8 × 0.75 mm, yellow with blue to purple tips, connivent and adherent at the apex; pores lateral at the anther apex, introrse, oblique. Style 7-8.5 mm long, shorter than, or slightlyexserted from the perianth segments. Capsulegreen, yellow or orange,8-17 mm in diameter, globose, slightly rugose, surrounded by the persistent perianth segments. Immature seeds 2 × 1 mm.

Information

Erect perennial herb (4)10–30 cm tall. Tubers 1–5, subspherical, 1.7-2.5 × 2-3 cm, up to c. 20 cm below ground on a slender vertical underground stem. Stem leafy, simple or sometimes with up to 3 branches from axils of the lower leaves, ± flexuous, ± strongly longitudinally ribbed at least above, glabrous, scabrid, or with scattered short recurved prickles. Leaves cauline, becoming progressively larger and congested towards the stem apex, sessile, (2)7-17 × 0.2-1 cm, linear to linear-lanceolate, acute or ± gradually tapering to the apex, occasionally slightly cirrose at the tip, with recurved prickles 0.75–c. 1 mm long on the midvein beneath and/or on the leaf margin, or prickles absent; lowermost leaves 0.7-1.2 cm long, membranous. Peduncles 2-5 cm long, ascending, smooth, scabrid or with minute prickles; bracts 5-17 × 0.5-2.5 mm; pedicels deflexed. Tepalspure white to pink, mauve, purple or blue, spreading, 6-15 × 2-5 mm, ovate, acute, 5-7-veined, free to the base, ± recurved at the tips, outer segments slightly longer than the inner. Filaments 0.5-1 mm long. Anthers 4-8 × 0.75 mm, yellow with blue to purple tips, connivent and adherent at the apex; pores lateral at the anther apex, introrse, oblique. Style 7-8.5 mm long, shorter than, or slightlyexserted from the perianth segments. Capsulegreen, yellow or orange,8-17 mm in diameter, globose, slightly rugose, surrounded by the persistent perianth segments. Immature seeds 2 × 1 mm.

Information

Erect perennial herb (4)10–30 cm tall. Tubers 1–5, subspherical, 1.7-2.5 × 2-3 cm, up to c. 20 cm below ground on a slender vertical underground stem. Stem leafy, simple or sometimes with up to 3 branches from axils of the lower leaves, ± flexuous, ± strongly longitudinally ribbed at least above, glabrous, scabrid, or with scattered short recurved prickles. Leaves cauline, becoming progressively larger and congested towards the stem apex, sessile, (2)7-17 × 0.2-1 cm, linear to linear-lanceolate, acute or ± gradually tapering to the apex, occasionally slightly cirrose at the tip, with recurved prickles 0.75–c. 1 mm long on the midvein beneath and/or on the leaf margin, or prickles absent; lowermost leaves 0.7-1.2 cm long, membranous. Peduncles 2-5 cm long, ascending, smooth, scabrid or with minute prickles; bracts 5-17 × 0.5-2.5 mm; pedicels deflexed. Tepalspure white to pink, mauve, purple or blue, spreading, 6-15 × 2-5 mm, ovate, acute, 5-7-veined, free to the base, ± recurved at the tips, outer segments slightly longer than the inner. Filaments 0.5-1 mm long. Anthers 4-8 × 0.75 mm, yellow with blue to purple tips, connivent and adherent at the apex; pores lateral at the anther apex, introrse, oblique. Style 7-8.5 mm long, shorter than, or slightlyexserted from the perianth segments. Capsulegreen, yellow or orange,8-17 mm in diameter, globose, slightly rugose, surrounded by the persistent perianth segments. Immature seeds 2 × 1 mm.