Plants 30-80(-110) mm high. Corm ± ellipsoid, 2-4 mm diam.; tunics brown, concentric, brittle-papery, notched below into sections, and drawn into points above. Stem usually prostrate at base, erect above, occasionally branched, bearing a small cormlet in each axil. Leaves mostly 3 to 5, basal, sword-shaped to lanceolate, acute, usually prostrate, plane, stem also bearing small, sheathing leaves. Spike 2-to 8-flowered, or flowers all aborted but floral bracts subtending cormlets; bracts 3-6(-10) mm long, inner ± as long or longer than outer when subtending flowers, smaller when flowers aborted, a cormlet produced in axil of each sterile bract and after flowering also in axils of floral bracts. Flowers actinomorphic, rotate, white (or not produced); perianth tube funnel-shaped, 3-4 mm long, reaching apex of bracts or shortly exserted; tepals spreading, ovate, 7-10 x 2-3 mm. Filaments erect, equal, 3-4 mm long; anthers 2-3 mm long, white. Style dividing near apex of anthers, branches ± 1.5 mm long. Capsules and seeds never developed.
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Cormous geophyte, 3-10 cm, tunics woody, concentric. Leaves lanceolate to ovate, often prostrate. Flowers small, white, tepals spreading, buds often aborted and replaced by cormlets, never producing capsules.