Rhizome rather long, ligneous, stoloniferous. Culms 20-60 cm tall, slightly slender, acutely triquetrous, scabrous on angles, purple-brown and bladeless sheathed, sheaths eventually disintegrating into reticulate fibers. Leaves shorter than or equaling culm, blades 2-6 mm wide, scabrous and sometimes slightly revolute on margins, reddish brown sheathed. Lowest involucral bract leaflike, longer than subtending spike, upper involucral bracts awn-shaped, shorter than subtending spike, not sheathed. Spikes 3 or 4, congregate at top of culm; terminal spike gynaecandrous, clavate-oblong, ca. 1.5 cm, rarely male, narrowly oblong, subsessile; lateral spikes 2 or 3, female, oblong, 1-1.5 cm, densely many flowered, subsessile. Male glumes brownish yellow, lanceolate-ovate, ca. 4 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex acuminate, aristate; female glumes brownish yellow, ovate, ca. 3 mm, membranous, 1-veined, scabrid on veins, apex acuminate, shortly aristate. Utricles yellowish green, obliquely patent, nearly horizontally patent at maturity, longer than glume, ovate or narrowly ovate, slightly inflated trigonous, 3.5-4 mm, membranous, glabrous, distinctly 2-veined laterally, other veins obscure, base obtusely rounded, apex attenuate into a slightly long beak, orifice 2-toothed. Nutlets yellowish, rather loosely enveloped, obovate, trigonous, ca. 2 mm; style base not thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Apr-Jul.
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