The stem is erect, glabrous and unbranched, the bulbus is spherical with cross-linked fibers at the top.

The leaves are shorter than the stem, simple, with a parallel venation, sword-shaped, 4–9 centimetres (1.6–3.5 in) long.

The inflorescence is composed of three to six hermaphroditic flowers, trifoliate, with a rosy violet or magenta perigonium, about 30 centimetres (12 in) long.

It is present in the Italian Alps, Austria and Hungary and more common in the Balkan region.

[3] Notwithstanding the name, these plants do not grow in marshes, as they prefer calcareous, moist and humus rich environments alternately wet and dry, in wet meadows and forest clearings.