Plants single-stemmed or stems clumped. Corm 3–4 cm diam. Leaves several to many, 5–9 cm long, 4–9 mm wide. Inflorescence 4–8-branched; spikes with 2–8 densely clustered flowers, pendulous. Primary bracts 2–3.5 cm long, elliptic-lanceolate to elliptic-obovate, acute, finely striate, flecked throughout, margin ± white, becoming torn. Flowers light to dark magenta-pink or deep purple-red. Perianth tube 10–15 mm long; lobes 2.3–4.0 cm long, obovate to narrow elliptic. Style not exceeding perianth lobes.
CVU, OtR. Grown as a garden ornamental, sometimes escaping from old gardens.