Perennial, 12-50 cm. Stem usually simple, forked at the top into the bifid inflorescence or bearing a simple cincinnus. Leaves linear, sometimes keeled, decurrent, stem-clasping, acute, sometimes subulate, parallel-veined but midrib more prominent, growing smaller towards the top, 4-20 cm by 2-9 mm. Upper part of stem beset with appressed, scattered, lanceolate, acute scales, 5-33 mm. Basal part of stem with brownish, dried leaves. Inflorescence 32-1-flowered, branches up to 4 cm. Bracts scale-like, linear-lanceolate, 5-10 mm. Flowers subsessile, hanging, white, often with pale-violet or bluish limb, 8-16 mm. Outer perianth lobes deltoid, acute, 2-4½ mm; margin fleshy at the base. Inner ones broad-obovate to orbiculate, entire and rounded, or retuse, or bilobate, 1½-2 mm. Perianth tube cylindrical, sometimes swollen in the upper part, 3-5 mm; lower part of tube and ovary very narrowly 3-winged. Stamens inserted just below the inner perianth lobes. Connective broad, oblong, crowned by two, rather wide crests. Filaments short, broad. Style thick, branching into 3 very short branches, each bearing a curved funnel-shaped stigma. Ovary obovoid, 4-7 mm. Capsule obovoid, dehiscing transversally, irregularly. Seeds oblong to scobiform, appendaged at both sides; testa loose, reticulate.
In mountain forests, brush-wood, along mossy trails, often on ridges, scattered, ascending to 2800 m alt.
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