Herb, evergreen, dioecious, perennial, caespitose, forming small tufts or large dense tussocks to 30 cm across. Leaves basal, linear, 25–75 cm long; sheathing base 5–13 cm long, red-brown to blackish; lamina subterete or laterally compressed, 0.5–1.5 mm wide dorsiventrally, acuminate. Culms semi-terete to compressed, (24–)35–77 cm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, smooth or slightly scaberulous. Inflorescences 3–10 cm long, with short erect branches; floral bracts 2, very broad deltoid, 1.3–2.5 mm long; males with 20–80 flowers; females with 8–35 flowers; flowers very shortly pedicellate. Spathes subtending inflorescence caducous, linear-lanceolate, 5–14 cm long, c. 0.8 cm broad, reddish brown, scarious, sheathing below but equitant towards the apex. Upper bracts broad cuneate, membranous, 2–3 mm long. Male flowers: tepals 6, narrow-lanceolate, rigid, keeled, reddish brown, acute to acuminate; outer tepals 6.8–8 mm long; inner tepals 5–7.5 mm long; filaments (1.7–)2.5–3(–4) mm long; anthers 3–3.3 mm long. Female flowers: tepals 6; outer tepals narrow-deltoid, acute, keeled, 3.8–4 mm long; inner tepals narrow ovate, obtuse, 2.5–3 mm long; style branches equalling tepals, recurved. Capsule 2–2.6 mm long, 1–2 mm broad. Seeds colliculate.
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