Erect annual wetland herb, 5–24 cm high. Leaves ± terete, often thread-like, 2.5–12 cm long, 0.2–0.7 mm diam.; basal sheath with fine acute auricles 1–3 mm long. Scape at fruiting erect, 3.5–17.5 cm long, 0.5–1.2 mm diam. Infructescence an open raceme, 2–6.5 cm long, 5–15 mm diam.; pedicels 1.5–8 (–15) mm long. Fruits (1–) 2–10 per infructescence, narrow linearpyramidal, with 6 basal upcurved spines, (10–) 12–15.5 mm long, 1.5–1.8 mm diam. at greatest body width. Carpels 6, 3 fertile alternating with 3 sterile, united; mature fertile carpels dorsally convex but with a shallow longitudinal groove containing a low narrow ridge, gradually tapered from base to apex, the base slightly contracted then extended into 2 lateral spines, with lower edges of spines united by a thickened membrane; spines upcurved and partly inrolled, extended 0.6–1.2 mm from carpel body; carpel 2.5–3 mm wide across spines; sterile carpels membranous with dorsal edge thickened, forming a conspicuous, 3-winged central axis.
Recorded from a salt-affected clay flat adjacent to a salt lake, salt-impacted Melaleuca lateriflora shrubland, a clay flat in Eucalyptus wandoo woodland, flats in an open wet reedy area, a roadside ditch, and from the base of a quartzite hill; on yellow sand and grey/brown clay soils; alt. c. 200–350 m.
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