Slender, hemiparasitic, sparsely leafy shrublet up to 40cm. Leaves few, all needle-like or the upper small and scale-like; flowers in elongated spike, whitish, petal lobes longer than floral tube, tips bearded; bracts shorter than flowers, lance-shaped.

Latin: funis = rigging, rope, cord: referring to the slender, rod-like appearance of this species