Delicate cormous geophyte up to 45cm, usually shorter.  A leaf is produced after flowering on a separate shoot, solitary, linear to sword-shaped with thickened margins, usually sparsely hairy, 3-6mm wide; flowering stem bearing sheathing leaves. Flowers in a 5-12 flowered spike, usually unscented, pale to deeper-pink; usually yellowish (sometimes white) and red markings on lower tepals.

Flowers are adapted for pollination by long-tongued insects, particularly long-tongued bees.