It is a herbaceous plant with elongated leaves that emerge from an underground bulbous stem. It produces a stem that serves as a support for umbrella-shaped flowers and reaches less than 1m in height. It grows from a fleshy bulb (which is also edible) with long, enveloping leaves formed by numerous thick layers on the inside. These layers are covered with dry, thin, and transparent membranes, which give rise to its white, purple, and yellow varieties.