Smooth, cespitose perennial, 25-100 cm high, stems short to elongate, encased in fans of closely imbricate, stiff, castaneous to nearly black leaf bases. Leaves 20-50 cm, blade flattened, 5-10 mm wide, margins densely white-ciliate. Scapes distally flattened, 2.5-4 mm wide, margins densely white-ciliate; spikes mostly 2, broadly ovoid to subglobose, 0.8-1.5 cm, deep brown to castaneous, bracts subdecussate, empty ones several, grading into the larger floral ones, these broadly ovate-elliptic to oblong, 5-8 mm, rounded, entire to finely lacerate, rarely red-ciliolate, ecarinate, uniform or with indistinct dorsal area. Lateral sepals free, equilateral, narrow, 5.5-6.6 mm, keel distally red-ciliolate to fimbriolate; petals obovate 5.5-6 mm; staminodes bearded; anthers ca. 2 mm. Capsule 4-4.5 mm, placentation basal-axile, valves septate at base; seeds few, cylindric-fusiform, 2.5-3 mm long, including long pale apical scale.
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