Herbs, perennial, cespitose, yellowish green or light olive green when dry, to 4.9 dm, sometimes glaucous. Stems branched, with 1-2 nodes, 2.3-4.4 mm wide, glabrous, margins often denticulate apically, similar in color and texture to stem body; first internode 12-30 cm, longer than leaves; distalmost node with 2-3 branches. Leaf blades glabrous, bases becoming fibrous, persisting in tufts. Inflorescences borne singly; spathes with purplish tinge along hyaline margins, obviously wider than supporting branch, glabrous, keels usually entire; outer 18-25.5 mm, 1 mm shorter to 55 mm longer than inner, tapering evenly towards apex, margins basally connate 2-3.8 mm; inner with keel straight, hyaline margins 0.3-0.5 mm wide, apex obtuse to truncate, ending at green apex or occasionally extending beyond as 2 obtuse or truncate lobes. Flowers: tepals blue to light blue or light purple, bases yellow; outer tepals 7.2-12.5 mm, apex rounded to emarginate, aristate; filaments connate ± entirely, slightly stipitate-glandular basally; ovary similar in color to foliage. Capsules tan to beige, ± globose to ± obovoid, 2.5-4.8 mm; pedicel ascending to erect. Seeds globose to obconic, lacking obvious depression, 1-1.2 mm, rugulose. 2n = 16.

Flowering ± year round. Sandy, rocky, or rich soil, upland pines, rich deciduous lowland woods, pine-oak woodlands; 0--300 m; Ala., Fla., Ga., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Va.