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Plant 6–18 cm high, little-branched when young, later branched at most vegetative nodes; vegetative stems of usually 3–5 internodes. Vegetative internodes strongly flattened in one plane, narrowly to broadly obovate, usually 25–55 mm long and 15–22 mm wide, attenuate and sometimes almost terete at base, abruptly contracted at apex; branches flattened transversely to parent axis; 3 prominent longitudinal veins and reticulate venation distinct. Rudimentary leaves acute, c. 1 mm long, each pair encircling node. Flowering stems forming terete, spike-like conflorescences, usually 3 terminating each vegetative stem and sometimes solitary in lower axils; internodes compressed when young, terete or nearly so at maturity, 1.5–3 mm long; rudimentary leaves of flowering stems decussate. Hairs red, visible between young flowers but not forming dense cushions. Flowers eventually over 40 per cluster, in c. 4 rows, encircling each node in dense whorls; male flowers forming single whorl at top of each cluster. See also Zich et al. (2020).
