Plants (50-)70-120(-150) cm. Corms tunicate, (15-)20-30 mm diam.; tunic layered, brown, brittle, cartilaginous, outer layer becoming irregularly broken to fibrous, usually bearing numerous tiny cormlets basally. Stems simple. Leaves contemporary with flowering stem [foliage leaves borne later on separate shoots], 4-6(-7), at least proximalmost 2 ± basal, distalmost 1-2 cauline, ± sheathing, ± 1/2 length of spike; blade narrowly lanceolate to ± linear, (5-)10-20(-30) mm wide, midribs and margins notably thickened. Spikes (2-)3-7(-14)-flowered, secund; sheaths subequal, (2.5-)4-7 cm, inner slightly shorter than outer, apex sometimes dry, pale. Flowers unscented; perianth tube ± cylindrical, curving outward in distal 1/2, (25-)35-45 mm; tepals red to orange with yellow mark on outer 3 tepals (or yellow to greenish and often with red to brown streaks on inner tepals), unequal, inner 3 tepals broadly elliptic, dorsal tepal horizontal to downcurved, 35-50 mm, to 22-30 mm wide, inner lateral tepals usually curving outward distally, ± equaling dorsal, outer 3 tepals curving downward, 20-25(-30) mm, outermost tepal somewhat longer and narrower than outer lateral tepals; filaments ca. 25 mm; anthers 12-16 mm; style branching near apex of anthers; branches (4-)5-6 mm. Capsules ellipsoid to ovoid, (18-) 25-35 × 12-14 mm. Seeds broadly winged, 8-12 × 5-9 mm; seed coats light brown, glossy.

Flowering mainly May--Jul. Introduced; Ala., La.; sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, Arabia.