Culms mat-forming, creeping and procumbent, sometimes aquatic and largely floating, or erect and tufted. Involucral bract shorter than inflorescence, often glume-like.
Plants of Isolepis fluitans var. fluitanscan differ markedly from tufted to mat-forming. The growth habit appears to be attributable to the environment in which plants grow. The distinction between this and var. lenticularis is not always clear.
