Robust pilose perennial herb to 80(95) cm tall. Rhizome vertical, 3–5 × 1.5–6 cm, turbinate to hemispheric with a flat base, or up to c. 8 cm long and ± cylindrical, equatorially ringed by stout contractile roots. Leaves 5–9, erect, ± rigid, flat or ± conduplicate above the narrow funnel-shaped sheaths; sheaths ± broadly hyaline on the margins; lamina increasing to c. 80 cm in length, mostly 5–12 mm wide, linear and gradually tapering to a narrowly acute apex, sometimes blade extremely narrow and c. 3 mm wide, many-ribbed often with a pair of lateral ribs more pronounced than the rest, thinly loosely pilose to densely pilose-hispidulous on the blades with shorter stellate hairs on the margins and midrib, sometimes blade glabrous; when present the hairs on the blade thinly 2-armed with arms up to c. 4 mm long, appressed or patent; hairs on the margins and midrib mostly 5–9-armed with 1 arm longer than the others; outermost leaves reduced to membranous sheaths with or without small blades, the outer surface ± densely sericeous-strigose to lanate, the hairs 3–9-armed (stellate); pseudostem 4–13 cm long and up to 4–10 mm in diameter. Inflorescences 1–6, usually appearing with the leaves. Scapesup to c. 37 cm long, overtopped by the mature leaves, somewhat flattened in cross-section, 1–2(3) mm wide, densely appressed pubescent to ascending hispid particularly towards the apex and on the margins towards the base, the hairs 3–6-armed (stellate) with arms directed to apex and base; bracts 7–20(30) mm long, subulate to linear-lanceolate; pedicels 0–6(10) mm long, erect-ascending, the upper flowers mostly sessile. Flowers 3–14(23) in a spiciform arrangement 3–12 cm long. Outer tepals 5–15(22) × 3–5 mm, narrowly elliptic with ± involute margins, silvery strigose-sericeous abaxially; inner tepals 6–10 × 4–7 mm, ± broadly elliptic, glabrous except for the abaxial midrib, the hairs unequally 3–8-armed usually with one arm strongly developed. Filaments 1.3–1.6 mm long; thecae 3–4.5(5.7) mm long. Style 0.5–1(2.3) mm long; stigma 1–2(3.5) mm long. Capsule 4–8 × 3–7 mm, turbinate, 16- to 20-seeded, circumscissile. Seeds black and glossy, 1.2 to 1.7 mm in diameter, globose; testa papillose, the papilla minute varying from incipient dome-shaped undulations to sharply conical points, the cuticle smooth and shiny.
