Tufted perennial herb, sometimes shortly rhizomatous, to c. 25 cm tall; roots fibrous; shoots probably annual, unbranched to densely branched, 5–30 cm long, ascending to declinate, not rooting, internodes to 8 cm long, puberulous to glabrescent. Leaves spiral or distichous, sheaths to 1.3 cm long, sometimes flushed with purple, puberulous, ciliate at the apex, blade sessile, linear-lanceolate, 3–10.5 x 0.3–0.6 cm, flat to completely involute, apex acuminate, base cuneate, upper surface usually glabrous (rarely with a few, long, patent hairs), lower puberulous, margins sometimes ciliate at the base, otherwise papillose. Spathes with 0.4–0.8 cm long puberulous peduncles, solitary, 0.9–1.5 cm x 0.3–0.7 cm, surfaces pilose-puberulous to puberulous, apex acuminate, margins fused basally, sometimes purple, glabrous, upper cincinnus lacking, lower 2–3-flowered. Flowers bisexual and male; paired sepals shortly to longly fused, paired petals c. 8 mm long, yellow, lower petal oblanceolate; staminodes 3, antherodes well­-developed; lateral stamens with filaments apparently winged, medial stamen with anther saddle-shaped, sometimes with sterile basal lobes, connective apparently yellow with small dark spots. Capsules with only the seed of the dorsal cell developing, the ventral seeds/ovules aborting. Seed enclosed in the indehiscent dorsal cell and shed with the dorsal capsule valve, dorsal capsule valve c. 4–5 x 2 mm, keeled on the back and with 2–3 regular or irregular longitudinal ridges of spines on each side or with dense, scattered, wart-like projections, or smooth and lacking ridges and warts.