Authors: Lindl.  

Botanical Description

Stems stoutly erect to slightly arching, 30-75cm high, forming a lax spike of one to five very large flowers. Basal leaves usually withered by flowering time, leaving a scattering of narrow sharply pointed membranous cauline leaves sheathing the stem. Flowers up to 9cm wide, white or green, the sepals and sometimes almost truncate, about 3 by 3cm, folding upwards along its length, the tips somewhat toothed, that of the central lobe decorated with a solid fleshy callus and thus one of those given the name a parrot's tongue. Chile, from the central cordilleras and littoral to mid-south, from hot hilly to subalpine boulder slopes among scrub and cacti, often setting its tubers down between rocks. Flowers spring (November) in the wild.