Low spreading shrub 10-15 cm. high, sts rather open and straggling; branches mostly decumbent or arching and densely branched on upper side, sts erect and evenly plumosely branched. Ultimate branchlets close-set, spreading, 2-3 cm. long, 1·5-2 mm. diam., terete, softly flexible when fresh, yellow-green, not glossy; internodes 1-1*5 mm. long, partly exposed; nodal joint obscure except in old stems. Lvs 0*75-1 mm. long, connate for ? to 1/2 length to form short sheathing collar, appressed and thinly fleshy when fresh, slightly spreading when dry, strongly concavo-convex, apex truncate or slightly rounded, sts with small incurved, sub-acute tip, margins membr., yellow. Spikes 4-10-fld, bracts and calyx us. red-tinged. Bracts c. 1 mm. long, obtuse or truncate. Calyx 2-2.5 mm. long, anterior lobes completely fused into broad-oblong, truncate or emarginate seg. Corolla-tube ± = calyx. Capsule c. 3 × 1·5 mm., oval, obtuse, much > calyx.

2n = 42