Perennial, densely soft-hairy herb, 15–35 cm tall, with a thin, branched, woody rhizome. Leaves are linear to linear-lanceolate, up to 12 cm long and 6 mm wide and gradually tapering into a petiole, acute. Spikes are cylindrical, interrupted, and up to 16 cm long. Bracts are ovate, 3 mm long and 2 mm wide, with a prominent, wide, pubescent green band that becomes long-hairy at the tip; the margins are glabrous except in the apical region. Sepals are 3 mm long, with the two anterior sepals asymmetric and bearing unequal scarious margins on either side of a prominent pubescent green band. Corolla tube is about 4 mm long; corolla lobes are ovate-lanceolate, acute, 2 mm long and 1 mm wide. Stigmas are several times longer than the corolla lobes. Seeds are borne in pairs, elliptical, shallowly concave, 2 mm long and 1 mm wide.