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Tufted, grass-like annual or perennial with short rhizome. Stems usually branched, jointed, flattened to winged, 10–60 cm high, 1–2.5 mm wide. Leaves linear-ensiform, 5–20 cm long, 1.5–5 mm wide. Rhipidia 2–5-flowered. Spathes opposite, narrowly lanceolate with abruptly contracted apices, subequal, 1.5–5 cm long. Perianth urceolate below, spreading above, 1–2 cm diam., white to cream with purple or blue centre; sepals and petals oblong, acute to acuminate, puberulous outside. Stamens exceeding style branches; filaments 2–3 mm long, almost completely connate, dilated and papillose at base; anthers c. 1.5 mm long. Ovary 1–2 mm diam., puberulous. Capsule globose, 3–6 mm diam., glabrous, brown. Seeds angular, c. 1 mm diam., dark brown.
Slender herb, 5-25 cm high, glabrous, with a flat stem. Leaves few, mostly basal, linear, 3-12 cm by 1-5 mm. Inflorescences in 3-6-flowered cymes, generally 2 at a cauline leaf, each cyme with 2 spathes, outer spathe 20-30 mm long, inner spathe 15-25 mm long, both 1-2 mm wide. Flowers c. 1 mm long. Tepals yellow with red or brown markings, c. 6 by 1 mm. Stamens united in a hairy tube, trifid at the top; filaments c. 1 mm long; anthers ½ mm long. Ovary ellipsoid, laxly hairy, c. 1 mm long; style with the undivided part c. 1 mm long, the lobes c. ½-¾ mm long. Capsules globose, 2-3 mm long; valves c. 2 mm wide. Seeds black, 1 mm ø.
