Acaulescent perennial herb with a short creeping sometimes branched rootstock; apical part of rootstock (where leaves attached) with long (up to 3 mm) strigose hairs. Leaves in a basal rosette, subsessile (rarely with petiole up to 4(–6) cm long); lamina elliptic to obovate, largest 5–18≈2.5–6.5 cm, apex subacute to broadly rounded, base attenuate, decurrent, margin subentire to crenate-dentate on apical part, subentire to sinuate-incised on basal part; below crisped-puberulous to pilose or sparsely so along midrib (sparser along lateral veins), glabrous on lamina, above with similar indumentum and ± scattered hairs on lamina. Spikes 2–10 cm long, branched or unbranched; peduncle 6–20 cm long; sterile bracts imbricate, ovate, 4.5–7 mm long, acuminate, glabrous but for the finely ciliate margin; fertile bracts pale green with white scarious margin, broadly ovate 5–8 mm long, acuminate to cuspidate, with similar indum; bracteoles elliptic or narrowly so, 3.5–5 mm long, acuminate, crisped-puberulous in a central band and ciliate towards apex. Sepals ciliate near apex, otherwise glabrous; dorsal ovate-elliptic, 4–5 mm long, subacute to acute; lateral and ventral lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 4–5.5 mm long, acute to acuminate, sometimes with a small dorsifixed mucro. Corolla white, when fully developed with tube 5–7 mm long and lobes 2–3 mm long; cleistogamous flowers not seen in East African material, but common in southern Africa. Stamens 2; filaments ± 1 mm long; anthers ± 1 mm long, with sagittate base, slightly smaller in cleistogamous flowers. Stigma oblong-spathulate and erect in open flowers, rounded or reniform and bent in cleistogamous flowers. Capsule 5.5–6.5 mm long, glabrous. Seed ± 1 mm long.