Leaves 3-5, all basal, to 35 cm long, about 1 mm wide. Flowers solitary, 25-45 mm wide, magenta to white with yellow throat, on stalks 5-15 cm long; spring. Perianth tube yellow; segments elliptic, acute. Anthers yellow, shorter than style.

S Africa.

var. australis (Ewart) deVos has pale pink flowers, 15-20 mm wide. A common and persistent garden weed, known as Onion Grass or Guildford Grass. R. minutiflora Klatt with flowers about 10 mm wide grows in similar situations.

R. atrandra G. Lewis from S Africa has 4-8 basal leaves, to 40 cm long, 1.5 mm wide, channelled. Flowers on a stalk 4-6 cm long, 30-45 mm wide, pink to magenta with yellow centre blotched black; spring. Perianth segments obtuse, the outer 3 with dark veins on reverse. Anthers dark purple or yellow.

R. sabulosa Bég., Satin Flower (Satynblom) from Cape Province has leaves 3-5, all basal, to 40 cm long, 1 mm wide, thread-like. Flowers scarlet with a satin texture, 40-65 mm wide, bell-shaped, on stalks 5-17 cm long; early spring. Perianth tube 2-4 mm long, yellow; segments rhomboid, each with black mark at base. Anthers longer than style.

Source: Cooke, D. (2005). Iridaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.