Gethyllis afra grows from a deep-seated, rounded, scaly bulb with perennial fleshy roots. The bulb is covered with the remains of papery, old leaf bases. It produces a cluster of up to 30 spirally twisted, narrow, somewhat leathery, usually dark green or sometimes grey-green leaves, that almost always have smooth surfaces and margins, but are occasionally covered with soft hairs. The leaves are held in place by a basal, subterranean or slightly aerial sheath that may sometimes be maroon-spotted. Flower shape is variable (somewhat flat, or more or less cup-shaped), with a narrow perianth tube of very variable length that protrudes up to 85 mm above ground. The flower has 6 white tepals that vary from narrowly to widely lance-shaped (even within the same population) and usually have a single prominent, reddish- or pinkish-maroon central stripe along the undersides. Each flower lasts 2 days and is heavily sweet-scented. The stamens are arranged in 6 groups and have 1-3 bright yellow anthers per group. The ovary occurs below ground and has an erect style, with a small, head-like stigma. The fruit is a long, yellowish-orange or reddish, finger-like berry containing small, egg-shaped fleshy seeds that are held within a sticky pulp. The seeds are visible through the translucent outer skin of the ripe berry. Flowering time is in early to mid summer, late November to January.

Fig. 2: Gethyllis afra has spirally twisted leaves with smooth surfaces. Photo Graham Duncan

The leaves and flowers of Gethyllis afra can be confused with those of G. ciliaris. In G. afra, the leaves are usually dark green and the leaf margins are usually smooth, or rarely sparsely covered with soft hairs, whereas the leaves of G. ciliaris are usually grey and their margins are always covered with short or prominent, firm, suberect hairs. The flowers of both species have 6 stamens, but in G. afra there are usually 9-18 anthers whereas G. ciliaris has 20-30 anthers. The tepals of G. afra have a prominent central, reddish- or pinkish-maroon stripe or zone along the undersides, but this is absent in G. ciliaris. The flowers of G. afra last just 2 days, but those of G. ciliaris last 4-6 days. In addition, the basal sheath in G. afra is underground or protrudes slightly, and is rarely marked, whereas in G. ciliaris it is clearly visible and prominently green- or maroon-spotted.