Mat-forming, glabrous perennial; stems rooting at nodes. Leaves linear-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 4–18 mm long, 0.5–1.5(–3) mm wide, discolorous, often thick-textured, margins c. entire with scattered minute indentations, rarely obscurely few-toothed, base tapered gradually, petiole 0–1 mm long. Flowers irregularly spaced; pedicels 0.5–3 mm long, glabrous. Flowers bisexual; calyx-lobes 1–1.8 mm long, entire or rarely 1-toothed on one or both sides; corolla fan-shaped, 3–4 mm long, white tinged lilac on the back of the lobes and tube, lobes c. equal, elliptic to lanceolate, 1.6–2 mm long, 1–1.2 mm wide, tube c. 2 mm long, split to base, glabrous internally; filaments 0.8–1 mm long, anther tube 0.8–1 mm long, apical seta of 2 lower anthers c. 0.3 mm long. Fruit globose, 1.6–2.5 mm long; seeds broadly-ellipsoid, slightly compressed, c. 0.4 mm long, light brown, reticulate, with strongly elongated alveoles. Flowers Nov.–Feb.; fruits Jan.–Apr.
HNF, VAlp. Known from shallow depressions that form pools following rain or snow-melt, and silty peats of stream margins in alpine heathlands on Mt Buffalo and Mt Reynard, north of Licola.
Distinctive features are the small ridged seeds, the alternate, narrow glossy leaves with indented or entire margins and attenuate bases, and the bisexual flowers with very short pedicels and very small fan-shaped corollas.
