Plants up to 25cm with a small corm. Leaves 5-8, lanceolate, channelled, spirally arranged; flowers are cup-shaped, yellow-orange with a black eye, the reverse reddish; three short hook-like styles.

Pollinated by visiting monkey beetles which feed on the pollen.

Greek: baios, little, slight; metra, the womb: referring to the small corms of this species.