Annual, 10-40 cm high, glaucous with a thick waxy layer, or grey, young plants at least in lower part white with an arachnoid indumentum of up to 4 mm long delicate, interwoven hairs, adult plants in almost all parts with spreading short hairs 0.2-0.4 mm long. Main stem erect or ascending, branched from the up to 7 mm thick base; branches usually ascending, terminating in dense spikes; whitish, but with distinct green decurrrent bases of leaves and bracts, up to 2 mm long in lower part and 3-4 mm higher up. Leaves spreading or recurved, 5-20 mm long, the longer + linear, 3-1.5 mm wide, the others triangular from a 4-3 mm wide base, beneath obtusely keeled, with prominent white line. Bracts leaf-like, 15-5 mm long, with a 5-4 mm wide sheathing base, the lower longer, the upper as long as or shorter than bracteoles. Bracteoles 7-4 mm long, at base 4-2.5 mm wide. Tepals coriaceous, narrow ovate, 3-4 mm long, the outer 1.5-2 mm wide, 3-veined, the innermost 1-veined, transverse line at 1/5-1/4, from there to the obtuse apex pilose throughout or in lower part only; without a green blotch. Anthers without the large appendage 1.3-1.6 x 0.5 mm, linear, divided up to the appendage; appendages shortly stalked, globular to ellipsoid, about as wide as anther and 2/3 of its length; filaments 2-2.3 x 0.2 mm; disc absent. Ovary globular; style absent; stigmas linear, 1.7-2 mm long, shortly exserted. Fruiting perianth 10-14 mm diam., wings overlapping, in one plane, distinctly unequal, the 2 inner linear to spathulate, initially often pink, later light or dark brown,linear; tepal lobes separated from the wings by a distinct cleft, the cap 3.5-4.2 mm diam., densely covered by erect 0.3-0.4 mm long hairs, the column c. 2 mm long, with ascending 0.2-0.3 mm long hairs. Utricle 2.3-2.6 mm diam., usually horizontal, but at first often vertical.