Perennial aquatic herb. Rhizome woody, fibre-covered, 14–18 mm diam. Tubers narrowly ellipsoid to broadly obovoid, 13–40 mm long, 4–14 mm diam.; terminating roots (0.8–) 2–10 cm long. Leaves ± linear, usually floating, seldom erect, glossy above, 43–133 cm long, 2–17 (–34) mm wide, spongy basally; basal sheath tapered; T.S. c. 3 cm below sheath summit narrowly plano-to concavo-convex with width of spongy portion c. 4.3–6.5 times its thickness; each sheath margin extending across c. 20%–40% of blade face. Scape at fruiting c. 22–65 cm long, 2.5–15 mm diam. Infructescence a raceme, 6–36.5 (–110) cm long, 10–19 mm diam.; pedicels 1.1–4 mm long. Fruits c. 230–1000 per infructescence, tightly touching, ± globular to broadly ellipsoid, 3–8.5 mm long, 2.8–5 mm diam. Carpels 6 (–8), usually all maturing, rarely 1 aborting; central axis absent; mature carpels attached along 57%–75% of length, straight, with a prominent narrowly obtuse dorsal keel and 2 rounded lateral keels.
Occurs in fresh, still to slow-flowing water to 70 cm deep in seasonal to permanent swamps, irrigation channels, ditches, lagoons and creeks, mostly on sandy to heavy grey clays. Sites typically in or fringed by Eucalyptus camaldulensis or Melaleuca quinquinervia. Alt. usually
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