Stems often purplish, 3-27 cm. Leaves often purplish, 1.5-4 × 0.5-1.5 mm. Inflorescences: floral bracts 2-4 mm. Flowers 8-14 mm; perianth purple or white with purplish longitudinal stripes inside throat and purplish perianth lobes; lobes erect, incurved and converging but not connate; outer lobes ovate to triangular, 1.5-4 mm; inner lobes lanceolate, ± as long as outer. Capsules 3-6 mm.

Flowering late summer--fall. Bogs, alluvial and upland rich woods; 0--100 m; Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., Tex.; Mexico; West Indies; Central America; South America (to Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, Brazil).