Small, divaricately branched, spinescent shrub or subshrub, (20)30-100 cm high; glabrous or papillose. Stem branched from base, up to 2 cm diam., grey, with fissured bark; annual shoots rigid, soon turning milky white, simple or with shorter ascending laterals, terminating in loose or modestly condensed spikes. Leaves ascending, straight, semi-terete, in lower part 1-3(5) cm x 1-1.5(2) mm, apiculate or shortly mucronate, basal constriction 0.5-1 mm long; leaf axils sparsely hairy. Bracts leaf-like but shorter, (2)3-10(20) mm long, mucronate, at base auriculate with wide hyaline margins; bracteoles uniform in size, (1.5)2-3(3.5) mm long, always shorter than bracts, the lower exceeding the tepals, the upper as long as or shorter. Tepals ovate-ligulate, 3-3.5 mm long, the outer 1.3-1.7(2) mm wide, 9-13-veined, with distinct midrib up to the apex, the others at least 3-5-veined, the hyaline margin in lower part sheathing and papillose to ciliate, in upper part and at the rounded apex crenulate and ± undulate, the back thickened but without a distinct green blotch, glabrous, transverse line at 1/7-1/10. Anthers 2.2-3 mm long, divided up to 1/2, appendage 0.4-0.5 mm long, obtusely triangular, flat, smooth; filaments band-shaped, 3-3.5 x 0.5 mm; disc with 0.25 mm long thick lobes, glabrous. Style robust, 0.7-1 mm long, conical; stigmas 2, in upper part recurved, 1.5-2 mm long, flat, at base 0.4 mm wide, at apex almost subulate, inner side short and densely papillose, deeply red. Fruiting perianth (8)10-13 mm diam., wings subequal, straw-coloured, coriaceous; tepals above the wings first incurved and forming a broad, indurated circular bulge, then abruptly recurved and forming an open, flower-like cup. Utricle 2-3 mm diam., with hardened cap, horizontal.