Herbs, perennial, 10--20 cm tall. Stems several, flexuous, base branched and covered with brown scales. Leaves basal; leaf blade spatulate, apex rounded and with a short awn. Inflorescences several; rachis dichotomously branched, thick, mostly straight, glabrous but verrucose near apices; spikes terminal, with several spikelets; spikelets 2-flowered; bracts ovate, to 2.5 mm, scarious, glabrous; first bractlet subrounded, to 5.5 mm, margin broadly membranous. Calyx funnelform, 8--8.5 mm; tube densely pubescent; limb sulfurous; lobes broadly triangular, apex long awned. Corolla yellow. Fl. Jul, fr. Aug.