Rhizome short, with slender stolons. Culms tufted, 30-60 cm tall, triquetrous, scabrous on upper angles, clothed with few pale brown and bladeless sheaths. Leaves nearly equaling or slightly longer than culm, blades 2-4 mm wide, flat, slightly stiff, 3-veined on upper surface, distinctly 1-veined on lower surface, scabrous on veins and upper margins, margins usually revolute when dry, long sheathed, membranous part of sheaths usually split. Involucral bracts leaflike, lower involucral bracts longer than subtending spike, upper 1 or 2 involucral bracts equaling or shorter than subtending spike, not sheathed. Spikes 3-5, usually contiguous at top of culm; terminal spike male, sometimes with female flowers at top, subclavate, 2-3 cm, very shortly pedunculate or nearly sessile; lateral spikes female, cylindric, 2-3 cm, densely many flowered, lowest 1 or 2 shortly pedunculate, upper ones nearly sessile. Female glumes pale stramineous, oblong-ovate or lanceolate-ovate, 2-3 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex attenuate or sometimes subobtuse and mucronate or muticous, mucro hispidulous laterally. Utricles green, stramineous at maturity, obliquely patent, ± horizontally patent at maturity, lower ones equaling or slightly shorter than glume, upper ones shorter than glume, ovate, obtusely trigonous, slightly inflated, ca. 3 mm, membranous, glabrous, 5-veined abaxially, base obtuse, apex attenuate into a medium-sized to long beak, orifice emarginate and shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets brown, slightly tightly enveloped, broadly ovate or subelliptic, trigonous, ca. 1.5 mm, base estipitate, apex mucronate; style base not thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Apr-Jul.
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