The brownish or reddish ochrea may be leathery to papery. The bark is red brown, light grey or pinkish grey with soft papery scales. The seeds have three whitish papery wings and are dispersed by wind and water. A prominent feature is the inflated, papery calyx enclosing each berry. They have flowering culms up to tall bearing spikelets of papery flowers. The plant produces pods containing yellow seeds with papery wings. These are usually arranged in two whorls, each containing three thin, papery tepals. The stipe may bear long, pale brown, papery scales at the base. The fruit is a papery or thin, slightly woody, hairy capsule with longitudinal ribs. It has a hard, thin, almost papery toasted crust and a soft flaky center. It forms large pointed pods filled with papery seeds. This brown papery and spiky seed pod stays on long after the leaves have fallen. The seedcases are small, brown, dehiscent, and papery. The pod contains numerous flat light brown seeds with two papery wings. The pod contains numerous flat, light brown seeds with two papery wings.