Plants 16–55 cm. high. Rhizome short, vertical, moniliform; roots narrow, shortly branched, bearing small, rounded tubers on the branches. Leaves rosulate, 4–13 to a plant, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, clasping at the base, rarely with short petioles, broadest at the middle, narrowed above to a fine point, usually glabrous, 10–40(–60) cm. long, 1–5(–8) cm. wide. Peduncle terete, compressed when dry, glabrous below, often papillate to pubescent above, up to 24 cm. long. Inflorescence exserted, with 2–many racemes, very rarely unbranched, bearing flowers from the base; racemes subtended by lanceolate bracts, these up to 5 cm. long; rhachis terete, often papillate; floral bracts lanceolate, softly apiculate, up to 10 mm. long. Pedicels articulated above the middle, 4–5 mm. long in fruit, papillate, 2–4-nate at the lower nodes. Perianth greenish or whitish, keeled green; tepals 5–8 mm. long, 1–2 mm. wide, 3-veined. Stamens as long as the perianth; filaments fusiform, papillose, ± 5 mm. long; anthers versatile, 1 mm. long. Style straight, ± the length of the stamens. Capsule triquetrous, emarginate, 5–7 mm. long, 6–7 mm. wide. Seeds disc- to saucer-shaped, ± 2 mm. diameter.
