Primary root short-lived. Stem stout, to 2 cm. diam., us. simple, clothed with old lf-bases and giving off many strong adventitious roots; stem-hairs cop., fine, to 2 cm. long. Lvs crowded, ± erect, 5-16 × 2-5 cm., elliptic-obovate to obovate-lanceolate, narrowed gradually to very broad flat petiole; tip obtuse to subacute, margins us. with few small teeth; glab. except for a few sparse hairs at margin; veins 5-7. Scape 8-20 cm. long, stout, with scattered long hairs on upper part. Spike to 15 cm. long in fr., fls lax below, densely packed towards tip. Bracts c. 2 mm. long, ovate, obtuse, mostly thickened but with no distinct keel, glab., enclosing conspicuous tufts of long hairs; sepals c. 2 mm. long, broadly ovate, obtuse, with narrow indistinct keel, glab. Corolla-tube short, lobes c. 1·5 mm. long, narrow; anthers barely 1 mm. long; ovules 2; capsule c. 3 mm. long, narrow, splitting about middle; seed us. 1, scarcely flattened, the second ovule us. aborting.

Primary root short-lived, succeeded by many strong adventitious roots. Stem stout, to 2 cm diam., usually simple, clothed with old lf bases; hairs copious, fine, long. Lvs radical, rosulate, with very broad flat petioles. Lamina ± erect, 3-8 × 2-5 cm, elliptic-obovate to obovate-lanceolate, subcoriaceous, glabrous except for a few sparse hairs at margin; main veins 5-7; margins usually with a few small teeth; apex obtuse to subacute; base attenuate. Scape 8-20 cm long, with scattered long hairs on upper part. Spike many-flowered, to 15 cm long at fruiting, with fls lax below and densely packed towards apex. Bracts c. 2 mm long, ovate, mostly thickened but with no distinct keel, glabrous, enclosing conspicuous tufts of long brown hairs. Sepals c. 2 mm long, broadly ovate, glabrous, with narrow indistinct keel. Corolla tube short; lobes c. 1.5 × 0.6 mm, narrow. Capsule c. 3 mm long, compressed, broad-ellipsoid. Seeds 1-(2), c. 2 mm long, elongated with convex side ± rugose, not markedly flattened.