Herb, perennial, dioecious, rhizomatous, forming small tufts or dense tangled masses arising from a glabrous caespitose base. Culms numerous and crowded on the rhizome, erect, often stout and up to 2 mm diam. towards the base, but above slender, 0.3–1.0 mm diam.; wiry, flexuose, twining or sinuous, reaching to 1 m tall, much-branched, terete to slightly compressed or often adaxially furrowed, smooth to slightly rugose, bright green. Sheaths and floral bracts slightly glossy, dark red to black, scarious, rigid, persistent, imbricate, usually closely appressed to the culm or open when subtending a branching node; sheaths at lower nodes 1–3 cm long, smooth to tuberculate, truncate, lamina absent; upper sheaths 0.5–1.5 cm long, tuberculate; lamina short, subulate, 0.5–3.0 mm long and usually with a prominent, depressed midrib, patent or reflexed. Male spikelets 3.0–3.5 mm long; glumes ovate, rigid, 1–2 mm long, brown. Female spikelets 4–6 mm long, terminal on branchlets up to 4.5 cm long; glumes 1.7–3.0 mm long, dark red-brown, rigid with membranous margin; mucro 0.2–0.7 mm long. Male flowers: outer tepals 1.5–2.2 mm long; inner tepals 2–3 mm long; anthers 1.7–2.0 mm long. Female flowers: outer tepals 3.3–3.6 mm long; inner tepals 3.8–4.6 mm long; styles 3, free. Nut 3–4 mm long, dark brown to dark red-brown. Seed 2–2.5 mm long. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma of horizontal plates of 2 or 3 ranks of short cells, separated from other plates by substomatal cavities, pillar cells absent, substomatal protective cells present, central cavity absent.
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