Herbs perennial. Roots fibrous, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., glabrous to densely tomentose. Rhizomes absent. Stem 1, erect, simple, to 1 m × 5 mm, subglabrous, striate. Basal leaves with blade long linear, 40--50 × 1--1.5 cm, glabrous. Cauline leaves 3--5; leaf sheaths 2--3 cm; proximal leaf blades slightly shorter than basal ones, distal blades becoming shorter, apical leaf bladeless. Cincinni ca. 6 cm; flowers dense, 20--30, only 1 or 2 fertile; peduncle 3--4 cm; involucral bracts sheathlike, 5--10 mm, membranous, glabrous; bracts ovate-orbicular, 1--1.5 cm × ca. 8 mm, membranous; pedicels straight, very short at anthesis, to 1 cm in fruit. Sepals elliptic, 1--1.2 cm, persistent. Petals purplish, elliptic. Fertile stamens 3, in a few flowers only anterior 2 fertile, posterior 1 depauperate or absent, often anterior 2 also depauperate; filaments densely white lanate; staminodes 3; antherodes 3-sect. Capsule ovoid, 1.5--1.7 cm, acute at apex. Seeds ca. 4 per valve, brown, rugose. Fl. Jun--Oct.

The one or two capsules produced in each cincinnus emerge from nearly closed flowers. No open flowers have been observed by the present authors.

* Forests and open, wet places; near sea level to 1600 m. S Guangdong (Taishan Xian), S and W Yunnan (Xishuangbanna Dai Zu Zizhizhou, Zhenkang Xian).