S. I. Ali & Brian Mathew

Perennial. Roots fleshy. Rhizome creeping, consisting of nut-like fragments, one such fragment developing each year, covered with fibrous remains of old leaf sheaths. Leaves up to 25 cm long, 2-4 mm broad. Peduncle (stem) 10-35 cm long, 1-2 sheathing leaves at the base, 2-4 flowered. Bracts 3-4, 2.5-5 cm long, greenish tinted purplish, margin hyaline. Pedicel short. Flower 3-4 cm in diameter, hypanthium c. 3.0 cm long. Falls 3-4.0 cm long, 6-9.0 mm broad, elliptic oblong to lanceolate-obovate, with whitish beard, from base to the middle of the blade; standard 3-4.0 cm long, narrowly lanceolate, haft canaliculate, sparsely bearded near base. Filaments c. 1.0 cm long, anthers 1-1.5 cm long. Style branches 2.7 cm long, keeled, narrow, lobes 8.0 mm long, narrowly triangular; stigma globose, crenulate. Capsule 2.5-4 cm long, narrowing at both ends. Seeds c. 5 mm long, pear shaped, ring shaped aril at smaller end.

Fl. Per.: March-April.

Type: In deserto inter-Buchara et Kermine (P), Isotype (K).

Distribution: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan (Baluchistan).