Rather slender terrestrial herb up to 1 m tall.Perennating organs subterranean, tuberous, 2.5–4 cm long, 1.5–2 cm in diameter, irregularly shaped, forming chains; roots 1 mm in diameter.Leaves 2–3, 30–55 × 0.4–2(2.6) cm, linear, acuminate, grass-like, fairly well developed at flowering time.Inflorescence rather densely 8–20-flowered; scape covered with 6–7 scarious, sheathing bracts.Pedicel and ovary 6–10 mm long; bracts up to 7.5 cm long, setose.Flowers drooping, bright orange to vermilion-red, the lip paler at the base, with cream or yellow side lobes veined with purple; callus yellow.Sepals and petals linear, acute or acuminate.Dorsal sepal 30–45 × 2–5 mm; laterals similar but up to 55 mm long.Petals 26–40 × 3–5 mm.Lip 20–27 mm long, 3-lobed near the base; side lobes to 4 mm long, narrowly triangular, acute; mid-lobe 16–18 × 2 mm, spathulate-elliptic, the edges often inrolled; callus of 2 basal ridges, turning to long papillae on the mid-lobe; spur absent.Column 3–5 mm long, green with a yellow anther.Capsule 15–20 mm long, pendent.
Open grassland on Kalahari Sand, usually with tall grasses, and in dambo grassland and poorly drained grassland, also in miombo woodlands often on sandy soils
Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592
A terrestrial herb up to 1 m. tall. Perennating organs underground, tuberous, irregularly cylindrical-conical, 2.5–4 cm. long, 1.5–2 cm. diameter, proximate in chains; roots 1 mm. diameter, from base of new growth, greyish. Leaves 2–3, linear, acuminate, grass-like, 30–55 cm. long, 3–19(–26) mm. wide. Inflorescence densely 8–20-flowered; peduncle covered by 6–7 sheathing acute bracts; rhachis 6–16 cm. long; bracts setose, up to 40 mm. long. Flowers subnutant, bright orange; petals cream at base; lip greenish at base with side lobes striped with purple and a yellow callus; pedicel and ovary 6–10 mm. long. Dorsal sepal linear, acuminate or acute, 3–4.5 cm. long, 3–5 mm. wide; lateral sepals similar but longer, up to 5.4 cm. long. Petals linear, acute, 2.8–4 cm. long, 4–5 mm. wide. Lip straight, 3-lobed, 2–2.7 cm. long, 7–9 mm. wide, lacking a spur; side lobes oblong-elliptic, very short, recurved at apex; mid-lobe spathulate-elliptic, 15–16 mm. long; callus of 2 ridges at base with many long papillae on mid-lobe in front; spur absent Column 4–5 mm. long, green with a yellow anther. Fruit pendent, 15–20 mm. long. Pl. 4. Fig. 101/14–23.
In seasonally wet grassland and in Brachystegia woodland; 175–1600 m.
