Herb, evergreen, dioecious, perennial, caespitose, forming tangled or trailing masses to 50(–80) cm high and 30–50 cm across. Cataphylls at stem base 1–5.5 cm long, 4–8 mm wide, with a small subulate lamina. Stems several or numerous, often much branched, 20–65 cm tall, with internodes 5–15 cm long and 1–3 mm wide, compressed or subterete, obscurely striate, minutely scabrous, bearing clusters of bract-opposed peduncles and/or culm-branches. Leaves reddish brown, rigid, scarious; the base sheathing; the lamina laterally compressed; the lower leaves 8–27 cm long with the lamina 1.5–3 mm wide dorsiventrally; upper leaves 4.5–6 cm long with the lamina 1–1.5 mm wide dorsiventrally. Peduncles laterally compressed, 4–15 cm long, 0.6–1.2 mm wide, dorsiventrally, recurved or flexuose. Inflorescence: male and female flowers similar, very shortly pedicellate, with 2 floral bracts; males with 2–7 flowers; floral bracts 2, narrow-deltoid, 2–5 mm long; females with 1–4 flowers; floral bracts 1–2, similar to males. Spathes mostly caducous, resembling upper leaves but smaller, 1–3.5 cm long. Male flowers: tepals lanceolate, 6–9 mm long; tepals equal or outer tepals slightly longer, brown or pale brown, scarious, rigid, with well-developed spongy outgrowths adaxial to bases of outer tepals and linking these to inner tepals; filaments 3.4–4 mm long; anthers c. 3 mm long. Female flowers: outer tepals longer 6–9.5 mm long; inner tepals 5.5–7.5 mm long; styles straight. Capsule 2.4–3.8 mm long, 2.8–3.2 mm broad. Seeds with a pattern of longitudinal ridges.
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