Perennial herb to 60 cm. high, tufted, stoloniferous.. Stolons up to 15 cm. long, with internodes about 1.5 cm. long.. Cataphylls 1–4, 1–1.5 cm. long, purplish.. Basal leaves up to 25 cm. long, 8 mm. wide, all with blunt, hardened tips; margins, especially of young leaves, sparsely covered with long white hairs; bases purplish; sheaths up to 4 cm. long.. Peduncle with 2–4 leaves up to 15 cm. long, 6 mm. wide.. Inflorescence taller than the leaves, many-branched, consisting of 1-and 2-sided cymes with branches up to 8 cm. long; lower bracts leaf-like, up to 3 cm. long, 3 mm. wide, margins ciliate; upper bracts about 5 mm. long, scarious, purplish with pale membranous laciniate apices; flowers solitary on pedicels up to 12 mm. long; each flower subtended by a bract and 2 bracteoles; bracts lanceolate, 2–3 mm. long, membranous with laciniate apices; bracteoles triangular, 2 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide at the base, sharply pointed, becoming laciniate, scarious with a membranous margin, dark reddish-brown.. Perianth-segments entire, lanceolate, sharply pointed, dark reddish-brown with pale membranous margins; outer segments 3 mm. long, 1 mm. wide; inner segments 3.25 mm. long, 1 mm. wide.. Stamens 6; filaments linear, 1 mm. long; anthers oblong, 0.75 mm. long.. Ovary trigono-globose; style 1.5 mm. long; stigmas 2.5 mm. long.. Capsule subglobose, beaked, 2 mm. in diameter, purplish-brown, shiny; beak 0.5 mm. long.. Seeds ovoid, 1.25–1.5 mm. long, dull purplish-brown, distinctly tailed; tail 0.25 mm. long, yellow.
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