Rhizome stoloniferous. Culms 20-40 cm tall, clothed at base with pale yellow sheaths, some sheaths disintegrating into fibers. Leaves longer than or equaling culm, blades linear, 3-5 mm wide, flat. Involucral bracts shortly bladed, scabrous on margins, long sheathing. Spikes 3 or 4, distant; terminal spike male, linear-cylindric, 3-5 × ca. 0.2 cm; lateral spikes female, long elliptic, 1.2-2 cm, 7-or 8-flowered; peduncles enclosed in involucral bract sheaths, lowest one sometimes subbasal. Female glumes stramineous or yellowish brown, obovate, ca. 5 mm, margins hyaline, green 3-veined costa excurrent into a mucro at obtuse or emarginate apex. Utricles slightly longer than glume, obliquely patent, ovate, ca. 9 mm, sparsely pilose, especially on margins, later becoming glabrous, many veined, base stipitate, apex abruptly contracted into a cylindric long beak ca. 2 mm, orifice 2-toothed. Nutlets black-brown, obovate-trigonous, ca. 3 mm, base with curved stipe, apex abruptly contracted into a curved beak; style base thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. May.
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