Herbs, 50--90(--104) cm. Leaves 20--60 cm; blade mostly 3--8 mm wide, margins smooth to ciliolate or papillate. Inflorescences: scapes often compressed distally, nearly ancipital2-edged, (1.7--)2--3 (--4) mm wide, ribs 2, strong, sharp, making edges, edges smooth to somewhat scabrous or ciliolate, rarely with few additional intervening, low, smooth ribs; spikes lance-cylindric or cylindric, (1.5--)2--3(--3.5) cm; fertile bracts nearly orbiculate, (5.5--)6--7(--7.5) mm, margins erose, narrow, scarious. Flowers: lateral sepals 5--6.5 mm. Seeds (5.5--)6--8 mm.

Flowering summer--fall. Wet sands, peats, and peat-muck of shallows of acidic pineland ponds, bayheads, ditches, and seeps; 0--200 m; Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tex.

Xyris stricta var. stricta is the taller, wider leaved, smoother, broader scaped, larger bracted of the two varieties and prefers a wetter habitat.