E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from a small, oblong, greyish, fibrous-coated bulb at the end of a rhizome; flowering stems 4-15 cm tall, smooth.

Leaves:
Basal leaves several, linear, grass-like, somewhat fleshy, 2-10 (15) cm long, about 1 mm wide, smooth; stem leaves 2 to 4, alternate, reduced upward, 1-4 cm long and 1-2 mm wide.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of 1 or rarely 2, erect to nodding flowers atop the stem; flowers creamy-white with purple or green veins, often tinged with rose on the outside, broadly top-shaped, 8-13 mm long, of 6 similar, distinct tepals, the tepals oblong or broadly lanceolate; stamens 6; pistil 1, 3-chambered.

Fruits:
Capsules, egg-shaped, 6-8 mm long; seeds numerous, crescent-shaped, flattened.

Notes:
Two varieties occur in BC:

1. Tepals with purple veins; basal leaves often shorter than the flowering stems................... var. serotina

1. Tepals with yellow or green veins; basal leaves often longer than flowering stems..................... var. flava (Calder & Taylor) Boivin