Herb 1.5–16 cm high. Leaves linear, 1–6.5 cm long, 0.75–3 mm wide, apex acute, 3–7-nerved. Peduncle 1.5–12 cm long, with 4–6 ribs. Sheath 6–25 mm long. Flower heads globular or hemispherical, 2–4 mm long, 3–4 mm wide. Involucral bracts hyaline to black or black with hyaline base, obovate, 1.1–1.9 mm long, 0.4–1.3 mm wide, obtuse, glabrous, thin, flexible, becoming reflexed at maturity. Floral bracts black rarely greyish, oblanceolate, 1.1–1.8 mm long, 0.4–1 mm wide, acute, glabrous. Receptacle glabrous or sparsely hairy, conical. Male flowers 1–1.5 mm long; sepals (2 or) 3, fused but split on one side to form a spathe which is often 3-lobed, rarely apparently 2 or 3 free, black, 0.875–1.2 mm long, 0.35–0.9 mm wide, acute, glabrous or rarely pubescent, hairs white in apical fringe; petals 3, hyaline, dimorphic with larger petal at opening of spathe, acute, glabrous or pubescent with white hairs in apical fringe; stamens 6; anthers black, included. Female flowers equal; sepals 2 or 3, black rarely greyish, dimorphic, navicular and geniculate, 0.95–1.4 mm long, 0.15–0.4 mm wide, acute, glabrous; median sepal linear, 0.6–0.875 mm long, c. 0.1 mm wide, acute, glabrous; petals 3, hyaline, dimorphic, spathulate to narrowly elliptic, 0.9–1.5 mm long, 0.2–0.325 mm wide; 2 smaller petals c. 1 × 0.175 mm, acute or obtuse, glabrous or pubescent with white and hyaline hairs, white hairs in apical fringe, scattered hyaline hairs on margin and adaxially; ovary 3-locular. Seeds 0.35–0.45 mm long, 0.245–0.3 mm wide; epidermal cell wall thickenings as continuous bands on transverse walls.
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