Perennial, with base inflated and some­times sub-bulbous. Leaves somewhat stiff, very narrow and even appearing terete (es­pecially from burnt culms) but characteristi­cally flat and parallel-sided at maturity, up to 180 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, frequently tortu­ous, minutely cross-striate, especially at mid-length. Scapes (l-)3 times as long as leaves, terete and multistriate, frequently irregularly compressed, green or obscurely pale brown at base (within sheath); sheaths often short and obscure, especially on high mountain plants, with a lanceolate caudicle about 10 mm long, or sheaths sometimes § to \ times as long as taller scapes, and broader, rarely to as much as 4-5 mm wide. Capitula broadly ellipsoid or sub-spherical, 6-8 mm long, few-flowered. Bracts numerous, rather loosely imbricate when mature, tough, brittle, more or less concave and medium to dark brown; outer el­liptic, more or less flat, frequently keeled and with or without a hard mucro or seta; inner somewhat broader, more often keeled and usually with lighter coloured, frequently re­curved margins; apices obtuse. Lateral sepals slightly curved, even sometimes mildly re­curved above, hyaline, keeled; apices some­times blunt, usually acute, hard, black, with or without short terminal setae; keels moder­ately wide, sometimes more or less uniformly so but usually diminishing below and above, regularly and somewhat distantly shortly pu­bescent or puberulent, especially in mid-part, diminishing towards apices. Flowers yellow, very rarely white {Welwitsch 2468). Capsule and seeds not seen.