Primary root short-lived, adventitious roots ∞. Stem stout, simple, with fine brown hairs. Rosette us. flat, up to 16 cm. across; lvs submembr., 5-10 × 1-2 cm.; lamina about elliptic, gradually narrowed into broad flat petiole; tip obtuse, margin us. only obscurely toothed; upper surface pilose with short erect hairs, hairs on lower surface more widely spaced or very few; larger lvs showing 3 veins. Scape 5-15 cm. long, terete, covered with short appressed hairs. Spike up to 3 cm. long, us. dense, many-fld and much longer than wide but occ. reduced to 2-3 fls. Bracts c. 2.5 mm. long, ovate, subacute, keel wide and ill-defined, glab. except for occ. very minute cilia on margins; sepals c. 2.5 mm. long, broad-oblong, obtuse, pale and membr. except for narrow dark keel, glab. Corolla-tube short, lobes small and narrow (1 × 0·5 mm.); anthers < 1 mm. long; ovules 5; capsule twice as long as calyx, narrow above; if all ovules develop two long seeds occupy one loculus, two shorter ones are attached near base of the other loculus, and an obliquely placed one occupies narrow tip of capsule, largest up to 1·75 mm. long, dark red-brown.

2n = 48

2n = c. 48

2n = 48

2n = 18

Primary root short-lived; adventitious roots numerous. Stem very short, stout, simple, with fine brown hairs. Lvs radical, in prostrate to erect rosettes; petiole broad, flat. Lamina (2)-4-10 × 0.5-3.5 cm, elliptic to almost spathulate, submembranous; upper surface ± pilose with short erect hairs; lower surface more sparsely hairy; main veins (1)-3-(5); margins entire or obscurely to prominently toothed, occasionally prominently lobed; base attenuate; apex obtuse. Scape 5-15 cm long, with short, appressed and often dense hairs. Spike to 3 cm long, usually dense, (2)-5-many-flowered, generally longer than wide. Bracts 2-3 mm long, ovate; keel glabrous or almost so, wide, dark, otherwise bract membranous; margin glabrous or ciliate. Sepals 1.5-3 mm long, broad-oblong, glabrous, membranous except for narrow, dark keel. Corolla tube short; lobes c. 1-1.5 × 0.5-1 mm, ovate. Capsule 2-4 mm long, ovoid to almost rhomboid. Seeds (3)-5, narrow-ellipsoid, deep brown or reddish brown, largest to 1.8 mm long, usually 4 vertical and attached at base, 1 horizontal to oblique, smaller and separated from others by placental outgrowth towards apex.