Herbs, perennial, cespitose, olive green to yellowish bronze when dry, to 3.2 dm, occasionally glaucous. Stems branched, with 1-2 nodes, 1.9-4.8 mm wide, glabrous, margins variously serrulate, denticulate, or entire, similar in color and texture to stem body; first internode 2.6-19 cm, shorter than leaves; distalmost node with 2-3 erect to arcuate branches. Leaf blades glabrous, bases not persistent in fibrous tufts. Inflorescences borne singly; spathes green, obviously wider than supporting branch, glabrous, keels entire to denticulate; outer 15-24.5 mm, 1.4 mm shorter to 2.2 mm longer than inner, tapering evenly towards apex, margins basally connate 2.5-4.5 mm; inner with keel evenly curved, hyaline margins 0.3-0.6 mm wide, apex broadly acute to obtuse or lobed, 0.8 mm shorter to 0.4 mm longer than green apex. Flowers: tepals blue to light bluish violet, bases yellow; outer tepals 8-15 mm, apex rounded to occasionally slightly emarginate, aristate; filaments connate ± entirely, stipitate-glandular basally; ovary similar in color to foliage. Capsules light to dark brown, obovoid to ± globose, 3.8-5.3 mm; pedicel erect to spreading. Seeds globose to obconic, with slight depression on one side, 1-1.5 mm, rugulose. 2n = 32.

Flowering spring. Sandy roadsides, meadows, prairies; 0--300 m; Kans., Okla., Tex.; ne Mexico.