Citation: Salisb., Trans. Hort. Soc. London 1:325 (1812).

Derivation: Greek homoios, similar; glossa, tongue; referring to the shape of the perianth lobes.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Deciduous glabrous perennial herb, dormant in summer; corm annual, globose, with a woody-fibrous tunic; leaves basal and near-basal, equitant, distichous, linear.

Scape terete, robust, erect, unbranched, partly sheathed by leaves; spike straight, erect, one-sided; flowers sessile, zygomorphic, large, solitary in each spathe; bracts large, paired, keeled, green, the inner one with a 2-fid apex and shorter than the outer; perianth tube curved, slender at the base, abruptly dilated into a wider cylindrical portion; lobes unequal, somewhat clawed at the base, the dorsal lobe the largest and slightly hooded; stamens inserted on the tube, free, unilateral; anthers linear, slightly sagittate, versatile, included; style filiform with 3 short recurved entire cuneate branches.

Capsule ellipsoid, papery; seeds numerous, flat, winged.

Distribution:  (M.P. de Vos (1976) Jl S. Afr. Bot. 42:301-359.) 10 species native to southern Africa; 1 is naturalised in Australia.

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available