Perennial herb to about 35 cm; bulb hairy at the base and apex inside. Stem hairless or downy. Leaves 2-7, green, hairless, margin flat, red. Inflorescence 1-4 flowered, buds erect. Flowers globular; spring. Tepals to 60 x 20 mm, dull red, greenish outside; blotch blackish, yellow-margined. Stamen filaments hairy, purplegreen; anthers brown or dark green; pollen brown, olive or yellow.
Very closely related to T. orphanidea.
T. orphanidea Heldr. from E Mediterranean, to about 35 cm; bulb hairy at the base and apex inside. Stem hairless or downy. Leaves 2-7, green, hairless, margin flat, red. Inflorescence 1-4 flowered, buds erect. Flowers cup-shaped; spring.Tepals to 6 x 2 cm, dull orange-brown, greenish-purple outside; blotch blackish, yellowmargined. Stamen filaments hairy, purple-green; anthers brown or dark green; pollen brown, olive or yellow.
T. urumiensis Stapf. from NW Iran, to about 20 cm; bulb sparse hairy at the base inside. Stem hairless. Leaves 2-4, basal, green or glaucous, hairless, margins flat, not red. Inflorescence usually 1-2 flowered, buds nodding. Flowers cupshaped opening to star-shaped; spring. Tepals to 3.5 x 3 cm, yellow, pinkish to reddish-brown outside; blotch absent. Stamen filaments hairy, yellow; anthers yellow; pollen yellow.
T. whittallii A.D. Hall from E Mediterranean, to about 35 cm; bulb hairy at the base and apex inside. Stem hairless or downy. Leaves 2-7, green, hairless, margin flat, red. Inflorescence 1-4 flowered, buds erect. Flowers cup-shaped; spring.Tepals to 6 x 2 cm, bright bronze-orange; blotch blackish, yellow-margined. Stamen filaments hairy, purple-green; anthers brown or dark green; pollen brown, olive or yellow.Very closely related to T. orphanidea.
E Mediterranean Europe.
Source: (2005). Liliaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
Flowers bronze-red inside, dark red outside.