Herb 33–100 cm high. Leaves linear, 23–80 cm long, 0.2–1.2 cm wide, 8–18-nerved, acute. Peduncle 33–100 cm long, with 5–7 ribs. Sheath 12–15 cm long. Flower heads hemispherical or slightly depressed, 4–8 mm long, 7–10.5 mm wide. Involucral bracts straw-yellow, broadly ovate, 1.5–3.5 mm long, 1.6–3.5 mm wide, obtuse, pubescent at base of outermost bracts with hyaline hairs, not reflexed at maturity. Floral bracts straw-yellow, broadly spathulate or obovate, 2–3 mm long, 1.4–2.5 mm wide, obtuse and mucronate with tip inflexed, pubescent apically with short white hairs. Receptacle densely pilose, rarely sparsely so, convex. Male flowers: sepals 3, fused for greater part into a truncate tube, hyaline, 1.75–3 mm long, 0.7–1.5 mm wide, glabrous, rarely a few white hairs at apex; petals 3, hyaline, equal, linear, acute or obtuse, pubescent with apical fringe of white hairs; stamens 6; anthers black, included. Female flowers: sepals 3, hyaline, dimorphic; laterals navicular, with broad dorsal wing and dissected margin, 1.9–3 mm long, 0.75–1.25 mm wide, crested, pubescent at base of crest with patch of white hairs; median sepal linear, 1.7–2.25 mm long, 0.25–0.6 mm wide, obtuse, glabrous; petals 3, hyaline, equal, linear, 1.5–2.5 mm long, 0.1–0.2 mm wide, acute, pubescent with white hairs in apical fringe and hyaline hairs on margin or rarely absent; ovary 3-locular. Seeds 0.75–0.8 mm long, 0.45–0.5 mm wide; epidermal cell walls with longitudinal rows of hair or peg-like projections, often with a terminal cap and often erect.
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Leaves linear, 10--35 cm × 2--3 mm, sparsely villous, veins 10--15. Scapes ca. 10, 15--75 cm, 5--7-ribbed; sheath 6--20 cm, villous; receptacle villous; heads subglobose, not compressed, ca. 6 mm in diam., glaucous, base truncate; involucral bracts reflexed, orbicular-reniform to ovate, 2--2.5 mm in diam., rigid, abaxially sparsely villous; floral bracts obovate, abaxially densely white clavate hairy toward apex. Male flowers: sepals spathelike, 2--2.3 mm, abaxially hairy toward 3-lobed apex, posterior lobe linear, glabrous, lateral lobes boatlike, winged; petals 3, linear, white clavate hairy at apex, gland black, ovate; anthers black. Female flowers: sepals 3, free, 2--2.3 mm, posterior one linear, glabrous, lateral ones broadly winged, pubescent; petals 3, linear, fleshy, villous at center, white clavate hairy at apex, gland black, elliptic; ovary 3-loculed; style 3-cleft. Seeds ovoid, 0.6--0.8 mm; testa hexagonally reticulate, prickles 1 or 2 per cell, T-shaped. Fl. and fr. summer to autumn.
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