Perennial with an often stout taproot and adventitious roots, sometimes extensively colony-forming. Leaves rosetted, linear to linear-elliptic, mostly 7–20 cm long and 2–14 mm wide, acute, glabrous or pilose (often more densely on margins below teeth), 3-veined, entire or with several distant obtuse teeth; petiole indistinct. Spike cylindric, mostly 4–12 cm long, congested, elongating and more open in fruit; peduncles 5–30 cm long, pubescent; bracts ovate, 1.5–4.5 mm long, acute, keel pilose, margins ciliate. Sepals elliptic, usually 2.8–3.5 mm long, subequal; corolla-tube 2–4 mm long, lobes 1.4–2.5 mm long, spreading or reflexed; anthers 1.5–2.5 mm long, exserted. Capsule ellipsoid, mostly 2.8–3.5 mm long, style-base persistent; seeds 1–5, light brown, lower 4 seeds compressed-ellipsoid, c. 2 mm long, apical seed smaller, irregular. Flowers Sep.–Apr.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, VVP, VRiv, MSB, MuF, GipP, OtP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, HSF, HNF, VAlp. Also SA, Qld, NSW, ACT, Tas. Widespread mostly in inland parts of western and northern Victoria where often found on heavier clay soils.
