Description: This small, slender, more or less erect, perennial herb reaches heights of about 30 cm (1 ft). The green stems function as leaves for this primitive type of plant. Yellow three-lobed spore cases are produced on the upper stems of pāāñ. The slender underground stem performs as a root and contains a tiny fungus that helps this plant absorb nutrients. This type of cooperative interaction between two different species (symbiosis) is also carried out in orchid plants.

Distribution: This unusual small plant grows in moist to dry areas, on trees, on soil, and among rocks, in many tropical areas of the world. In the Marshall Islands, it is a native species reported from Ānewetak, Kuwajleen, Mājro, Jāluit, Arņo, Aur, and Mājeej.