Perennial herb 20–45 cm tall from a woody rhizomatous base; plants small erect glabrous, several clustered on a vertical rhizome, or few to many closely spaced along an inclined rhizome. Rhizomes 1–5 × 0.6–1 cm, subcylindrical with spreading fibrous to ± fleshy roots. Aerial stems absent. Leaves numerous, erect to arching, fleshy grass-like, ± abruptly expanded and sheathing at the base; the bases broadly winged, successively overlapping bases of inner leaves, persisting as a column of shiny yellowishscarious sheaths; column (3)4–8 × 0.5–1 cm; blade ± fleshy, mostly 10–25 cm long and c. 2 mm in diameter, linear-terete, ± channelled on the adaxial surface and tapering to the apex; wings clasping, hyaline, up to 8 mm wide on each side of the blade base,abruptly narrowing into the blade. Peduncle 1 per plant, erect, terete, ± fleshy becoming stoutly rigid, up to c. 25 cm long and 3 mm in diameter. Raceme usually overtopping the leaves, densely many-flowered, at first 2–4 cm long and broadly conical, increasing to 12(15) cm long and 3–4 cm in diameter and becoming cylindrical; bracts membranous, 2.5–7(10) mm long, ovate to narrowly lanceolate and attenuate into a subulate apex, auriculate, entire or sometimes with 1–3 teeth on the margins, persistent; pedicels closely spaced, ± erect to ascending, filiform or slender, from c. 3 mm long at the raceme apex increasing to c. 23 mm long towards the base, with flowers youngest at the apex becoming progressively older towards the base, flowers and fruit often occurring together in the same raceme, straight, often ± strongly recurved at the apical end in barren pedicels, persistent. Tepals yellow, up to c. 6 mm long, the inner c. 3.5 mm wide, the outer c. 2.5 mm wide, elliptical, persistent. Filaments c. 2–3 mm long, densely bearded in the upper part with long yellow hairs; anthers c. 1.5 mm long. Style c. 3 mm long, terete. Capsule not inflated when mature, stipitate, c. 6–7 mm long and 4–5 mm wide, ovoid to obovoid and slightly depressed at the apex, shallowly 3-lobed. Seeds 1–2 per locule, 2–3 mm long, pyramidal, not winged, convex on the outer face with 2–3 flat inner faces tapering to the point of attachment, brownish-black, sometimes with a reticulate pattern of low sharp incipient ridges on the surface.
