Plants perennial, loosely cespitose. Taproots filiform to slightly thickened. Stems erect to arcuate-ascending, green, commonly purplish, 3-8 cm, glabrous, internodes of all stems 0.2-1.5 times as long as leaves. Leaves tightly overlapping, usually connate proximally, with ± loose, scarious sheath 0.2-0.7 mm; blade ascending to variously curved, green, commonly purplish, flat, prominently 1-veined abaxially, linear to subulate, 3-10 × 1-2 mm, flexuous, margins not thickened, scarious, smooth, apex green to purple, rounded, navicular, shiny, glabrous; axillary leaves present among cauline leaves. Inflorescences solitary flowers, terminal; bracts linear to subulate, herbaceous. Pedicels 1-4 cm, glabrous. Flowers: hypanthium disc-shaped; sepals 3-veined, midrib prominent, lateral veins 1/ 1/ 2 times as long as sepals, ovate to lanceolate (herbaceous portion ovate to lanceolate), 2-4 mm, not enlarging in fruit, apex often purple, rounded to acute, not hooded, glabrous; petals oblong to obovate, 0.8-1 times as long as sepals, apex rounded, entire, rarely absent. Capsules on stipe ca. 0.2 mm, ellipsoid, 2-4 mm, equaling sepals. Seeds reddish brown, suborbiculate with radicle prolonged into rounded beak, somewhat compressed, 0.6-1 mm, tuberculate; tubercles low, rounded, elongate. 2n = 30, 60.
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