Perennial herb (but see note below), loosely caespitose. Leaves up to 30 cm. long, 2 mm. wide; sheaths about half as long as the lamina, brown, strongly rugulose to scabrid, margins thin, smooth, scarious, entire, gradually narrowing upwards; ligule short; lamina linear, flattened, 2-ridged, glabrous, strongly reticulate- rugulose throughout; apex acuminate-incurved. Peduncles 35–60 cm. long, 1–1.5 mm. in diameter, terete, grooved longitudinally, rugulose when dry; sheaths a little shorter than the leaves, smooth and brown below, greenish and rugulose above with a short terminal blade; spike ellipsoid, acute, whitish, up to 2 cm. long, 1 cm. in diameter; sterile bracts membranous, whitish with a pale brownish central region, the outer 2–3 narrowly ovate, acute, up to 20 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, the inner up to 13 mm. long, 5 mm. wide; fertile bracts 18–28, ovate, acute, membranous, whitish. Lateral sepals curved, boat-shaped, acuminate, 8 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, keel entire; corolla yellow to orange, the tube 1–1.5 mm. long, the lobes obovate, ± 3.5–4 mm. long, 1.5–2.2 mm. wide. Stamens 3–3.5 mm. long; staminodes 2.8–3 mm. long, bifid with tufts of yellow hairs 1.5 mm. long at the apices. Ovary ellipsoid, 1–2 mm. long, 0.5–0.8 mm. in diameter, style 2.5–3.5 mm. long, trifid above the middle. Capsule ellipsoid, ± 5 mm. long. Seeds ellipsoid, ± 0.5 mm. long, 0.25 mm. in diameter, with 14–15 longitudinal ridges. Fig. 1/1.