Perennial with the rhizome short and vertical in drier sites but elongated, 2 mm. diameter, in floating vegetation mats.. Leaves 10–24 cm. long, 0.2–0.4 cm. wide; sheaths half to one third the length of the lamina, pale, longitudinally furrowed, shiny, with membranous margins; ligule absent; lamina flat, linear, glabrous, smooth, apex acute, slightly incurved.. Peduncles 10–55 cm. long, 2-ridged, slightly flattened.. Sterile bracts ovate, to 7 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, membranous, spreading to recurved, pale buff with a darker and thicker median region, eventually caducous.. Fertile bracts broadly ovate, ± 5 mm. long, 3–4 mm. wide, shiny, brown with a paler thickened median stripe.. Lateral sepals curved, 5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, delicate, keel thicker, minutely serrulate. Corolla yellow, tube 4 mm. long, lobes oblong, 3 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, rounded at apex.. Stamen filament flattened, 0.5 mm. long, anthers 1.5 mm. long.. Staminodes much-branched.. Ovary ellipsoid, 2.5 mm. long; style 2 mm. long; style arms 2 mm. long.. Capsule ovoid, flattened, ± 4 mm. long, 2 mm. in diameter.. Seeds ovoid, ± 0.2 mm. long, with 12–14 longitudinal ridges.. Fig. 2.
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