Caespitose ?glaucous herb, woody at the base. Shoots springing from a ± elongated branched leafless woody basal portion, robust, erect or curved, c. 15 cm long, densely leafy; basal internodes elongated, terete; nodes swollen. Leaves tufted, erect or erecto-patent, channelled above, keeled below, linear, c. 10 cm long, c. 0.2 cm wide, gradually narrowed from base to acute apex, minutely and distantly denticulate on the margin, minutely papillose (when dry), 5(3)-nerved, with the midrib conspicuous; sheath-length about equalling leaf-width. Peduncles axillary, slender, erect, with branches arising from some or all of upper nodes, 3-5-flowered; internodes smooth, angled; bracts narrowly lanceolate, with subulate apex, 0.2-0.5 x the length of the corresponding internode, uppermost squamiform. Calyx-bracts 2(3) pairs, unequal, reaching 0.25-0.33 way up calyx, elliptic or narrowly ovate, acuminate, scarious with narrow membranous border, ciliolate on the margin, minutely puberulous at the apex, and distinctly striate-nervose in the upper part only; lower pair(s) 0.3-0.5 cm long, 0.1-0.2 cm wide; uppermost pair c. 0.75 cm long, 0.25 cm wide. Calyx cylindrical or slightly tapering from base to apex, c. 2.0 cm long, 0.3 cm diameter; lobes lanceolate or narrowly ovate, puberulous in the upper half, 0.45 cm long, 0.15 cm wide, with a narrow membranous ciliolate border, acute mucronulate apex, and 5 wide and 2 narrow nerves to each lobe; anthophore c. 0.15 cm long. Corolla: petal-lamina small, deltoid, c. 0.25 cm long, 0.2 cm wide, coarsely dentate on the margin with 4(6) teeth; claw narrow, not exserted; anthophore long. Androecium: anthers 0.15 cm long. Gynoecium: gynophore c. 0.15 cm long. Capsule cylindrical, equalling calyx.
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