Annual wetland herb, 2–9 cm high. Leaves ± terete, often threadlike, 0.4–8 cm long, 0.3–1.1 mm diam.; basal sheath with fine acute auricles 0.4–2.3 (–4.5) mm long. Scape at fruiting erect or ascending, 0.5–6.5 cm long, 0.4–0.7 mm diam. Infructescence a spike, 1–3 cm long, 1.5–2.5 mm diam.; pedicels usually absent, rarely thick and to 0.2 mm long. Fruits 1–7 (–11) per infructescence, typically erect and strongly appressed to rachis, sometimes semi-erect and not appressed, narrowly pyramidal, 2.3–4.3 mm long, 0.65–0.85 mm diam. at widest part, seated on a prominent basal thickened receptacle; receptacle 0.4–0.75 mm long, 0.5–0.6 mm diam., bearing protruding scars of fallen perianth and stamens. Carpels 6, 3 fertile alternating with 3 sterile, united; mature fertile carpels with dorsal surface ± flat but with a low narrow longitudinal ridge down midline and narrow side-wings extended at base into short downward to outward obtuse points 0.1–0.4 mm long; wings of adjacent carpels neartouching, almost obscuring central axis.
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