Herb 1.2–12 cm high. Leaves linear, 1.7–6 cm long, 0.09–0.55 cm wide, 7–11-nerved. Peduncle 1.2–12 cm long, with 4–8 ribs. Sheath 10–30 mm long. Flower heads ovoid to hemispherical, 2–3.5 mm long, 2.5–5.5 mm wide. Involucral bracts hyaline, obovate to oblanceolate, 1.5–3 mm long, 0.9–1.4 mm wide, obtuse to acute, glabrous, strongly reflexed at maturity. Floral bracts hyaline, sometimes darker at apex, narrowly obovate, 1.25–2.6 mm long, 0.6–0.76 mm wide, acute to obtuse, glabrous or rarely pubescent with white hairs. Receptacle densely pilose or rarely sparsely hairy, conical. Male flowers 1.2–1.75 mm long; sepals (1) 2 (3), free, hyaline with dark tips, linear, 0.9–1.5 mm long, 0.1–0.2 mm wide, acute, glabrous or rarely pubescent with apical fringe of white hairs; petals 3, hyaline, equal or dimorphic sometimes with one larger or only one apparently developed, triangular, acute or obtuse, glabrous or pubescent with apical fringe of white hairs; stamens 6; anthers black. Female flowers: sepals 2 (or 3) but often deciduous, hyaline with dark tips, equal, linear, lacking dorsal keel or wing, 0.75–1.6 mm long, c. 0.1 mm wide, acuminate, glabrous; petals 3, hyaline, equal, linear to narrowly elliptic, 0.76–2 mm long, 0.1 mm wide, acute, pubescent with apical fringe of white hairs and hyaline hairs on margin and adaxially or rarely glabrous; ovary 3-locular. Seeds 0.36–0.43 mm long, 0.225–0.26 mm wide; epidermal cell wall longitudinal thickenings white, prominent, thicker than transverse walls.