Herbs, perennial, to 2 m; rhizomes coarse; stolons absent; corms absent. Leaves emersed; petiole terete, 44--58 cm; blade linear to ovate or elliptic, 20.3--35 ´ 0.7--16 cm. Inflorescences racemes or panicles, of 6--13 whorls, emersed, 16--72 ´ 19--60 cm; peduncles 75--125.5 cm; bracts connate more than or equal to ΒΌ total length, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 3--32 mm, coarse, papillose or not; fruiting pedicels spreading, cylindric, 0.6--3.8 cm. Flowers to 3.3 cm diam.; sepals recurved to spreading, not enclosing flower or fruiting head; filaments cylindric, longer than anthers, pubescent; pistillate pedicellate, without ring of sterile stamens. Fruiting heads 0.5--1.2 cm diam.; achenes oblanceoloid, abaxially keeled, 1.6--2.5 ´ 0.8--1.1 mm, beaked; faces not tuberculate, wings absent, glands 1; beak lateral, erect, 0.3--0.7 mm.
