Plant dwarf, solitary or forming clusters of 2-4 (rarely 7-8) bodies. Sheath pale brown, spotted with darker tannins, completely enclosing the resting bodies in winter but disintegrating quickly by the subsequent autumn. Roots lateral, rather short, not forming a deep taproot, dark brown. Bodies obcordate in outline, usually strongly convex above, up to 40 mm tall x 15 mm broad (transverse to the fissure) x 10 mm thick, but usually much smaller: 15-20 x 10-15 x 6-10 mm; fissure extending across the whole width, lobes conjunct, ± equal, shoulders rounded. Apex and sides pale creamy brown, often suffused with pink or green, smooth but not glossy. Window expressed as wide or narrow non-impressed translucent zones with numerous scattered blackish or greenish tanniniferous idioblasts 0.5-1 mm in diam., rubrications entirely absent. Flowers appearing in early autumn, opening in the late afternoon, short-lived, faintly scented. Peduncle 5-10 mm long, 2-3 mm thick; sepals 5, 4-6 mm long x 2 mm wide, oblong, slightly succulent, pale brown with fine reddish dots. Petals ca. 35 in 2-3 loose series, 5-10 mm long x 0.5-1.5 mm wide, ± linear with rounded apices, recurved, bright golden yellow; stamens ca. 60, filaments 4-5 mm long, papillate at the base, anthers yellow. Receptacle usually concealed within the fissure zone, elliptic as seen from above (ca. 4 x 3 mm), nectarium finely crenulate (ca. 25 divisions), dark green, stigmas 5, pale yellowish-green, equalling the anthers. Fruits concealed within the sheath until early spring, pale buff, fragile, non-persistent (or eaten?); rotund below, flat above and strongly bulging on the sides. Seeds 0.65 mm long, pyriform, pale brown, testa colliculate, 'hillocks' rougher and more numerous near the hilum. Cotyledons obconical, bright green, comparatively robust, thickening rapidly and turning brownish-green, fissure appearing as a small central pit. Seedlings maturing rapidly, often within one year.
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