Staminate plants 3-4 dm. high. Leaves several in a cyathiform rosette, not over 18 cm. long; sheaths conspicuous, elliptic-ovate, brown-punctulate-lepidote; blades ligulate, acuminate, 22 mm. wide, glabrous. Scape decurved, very slender, equaling or exceeding the leaves. Scape-bracts lanceolate, acuminate, equaling or exceeding the internodes. Inflorescence compound with simple or compound branches, 15 cm. long, glabrous. Primary bracts like the scape-bracts, slightly exceeding the sterile bases of the axillary branches. Spikes 5 cm. long, dense, or subdense. Floral bracts elliptic, acute, cucullate above the sepals, thin, nerved. Flowers suberect. Sepals asymmetric with the right side produced into a large wing, 5-7 mm. long, chartaceous. Petals narrow, only exserted 2 mm. Stamens unequal. Pistillate plants 10-25 cm. high. Scape erect or slightly curved, slender, shorter than the leaves. Scape-bracts broadly elliptic, acute, equaling or exceeding the internodes. Inflorescence simple, dense, 3-7 cm. long and 15 mm. thick. Sepals 7 mm. long.
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