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Perennial herb drying grey-green or slightly fuscous, with a woody caudex 20–30 mm in diameter, crowned with very many short closely scaly shoots eventually developing into stems c. 150–300 mm long, 1.5–3 mm diameter at base, decumbent to erect, well branched and floriferous almost from base, branches ascending at angle of c. 45°, weakly ribbed by decurrent scales, closely scaly near base, more distantly so above, hairy at least on lower part of stems and hairs there up to 0.3–0.5 mm long, hairs stout, unicellular, patent, shorter upwards and usually extending to backs of bracts, outside of perianth, especially ovary and fruit.
Flowers initially solitary at tips of nude peduncles, 2–20 mm long (measured from axil of bract to first flower), often 2 peduncles from one axil, later overtopped by 1 or 2 branches arising immediately or shortly below terminal flower; these may branch again, producing either a nude peduncle terminating in a flower, or a slender bracteate shoot, a bud sometimes present in the axil of each bract, or sometimes absent and then shoot presumably assimilatory only.
Leaves all reduced to scales, sharply ascending and incurved, those at extreme base of stem 3–7 mm long, those subtending branches 2–7 × 1–2 mm, lanceolate-cuspidate, thick-textured, margins (as well as backs) usually ciliolate.
Perianth creamy or white inside; tube 0.5–1 mm long, external glands obscure, ellipsoid; lobes 1.1–1.4 × 0.4–0.6 mm, oblong, obtuse, hood c. 0.3 mm long, margins inflexed, erose.
Bracts c. 4 or 5 forming an involucre below the flower, c. 1.3–2.1 × 0.7–1.1 mm, ovate-lanceolate, cuspidate, resembling those on stems.
Stamens inserted at base of perianth lobes; filaments 0.1–0.5 mm long, almost or quite hidden by anthers; anthers 0.3–0.8 mm long.
Fruit 2.3–3 × 2–2.5 mm, pale buff to palest brown, strongly ribbed and reticulate.
Style 1–1.8 mm long; stigma reaching tip of hood.
Pedicels wanting.
