Tufted perennial, becoming woody, vegetative branches short and often dense, rarely somewhat elongated. Leaves more or less radical, oblanceolate-linear, 6-20 cm long, rarely longer, 5-10 mm broad, tapering into a petiole-like base, stem-clasping, obtuse, mucronate, entire, glabrous, smooth or very minutely scabrid, sometimes somewhat glaucous, midrib often prominent on lower surface. Scape 12-45 cm tall, dicho-tomously branched, very variable, sometimes lax, sometimes dense and rigid, smooth below and usually minutely pitted towards spikelets; inflorescence cymose-corymbose with spikes of 3-12 spikelets; bracts broadly oblong-ovate 2-4 mm long with memÂbranous margin. Spikelets 1-flowered, sessile, rarely appearing peduncled due to the reduction of the cymes; bract 7-10 mm long, occasionally up to 12 cm., enveloping base of calyx, with broad membranous margin. Flowers subsessile, or shortly pedicellate. Calyx ivory to pale pink and sometimes turning reddish-brown, 14-20 mm long, with cylindric tube in lower half, pilose towards base and along the full length of the 5 ribs; limb spreading 1 -5-1 -7 cm diam. with 10 short, broad lobes. Petals white to pale pink, oblanceolate, emarginate, longer than calyx. Stamens with anthers divided halfway. Ovary deeply 5-winged; styles 5 free, filiform.
