Plants densely tufted. Rhizomes knobbly, woody. Leaves linear, 20--50 cm × 2--4 mm, veins 4--7, base surrounded by maroon-brown, 10--13 cm long, persistent sheaths. Flowering stems not or only slightly emerging above ground, 12--15 cm; spathes 3, green, ovate, 8--10 × 3--4 cm, inflated, 2-flowered, transverse veins absent. Flowers pale violet, 5--7 cm in diam.; pedicel ca. 1.5 cm. Perianth tube filiform, 6--7 cm; outer segments oblong-oblanceolate, 5--6 × 1.2--1.5 cm; inner segments erect, narrowly oblanceolate, 5--5.5 cm × 8--10 mm. Stamens ca. 3 cm. Ovary 4--4.5 cm. Style branches 5--5.5 cm. Capsule narrowly cylindric, 8--9 × 1.5--2 cm, 6-veined, apex long beaked. Fl. May--Jun, fr. Jul--Aug.

Sandy grasslands, deserts, dunes. Gansu, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shanxi [Mongolia].