Rhizome short, ligneous. Culms 50-60 cm tall, rather slender, compressed triquetrous, smooth, clothed with reddish brown bladeless sheaths. Leaves shorter than culm, blades 3-4 mm wide, flat, scabrous on upper margins, sheathed, lower sheaths up to 6 cm, usually splitting. Lower involucral bracts leaflike, upper ones subulate, usually shorter than subtending spike; sheaths 1-3 cm. Spikes 3 or 4, solitary in an involucral bract sheath, remote; terminal spike male, cylindric, ca. 3 cm; lateral spikes female, shortly cylindric or cylindric, very loosely 4-6-flowered; peduncles slender, lowermost up to 6.5 cm, upper 1-2 cm. Female glumes white hyaline or sometimes yellowish, gray-green at middle, ovate, ca. 5 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex acuminate. Utricles brown, suberect, longer than glume, obovate, trigonous, ca. 7 mm, papery, glabrous, several veined, base attenuate into a short stipe, apex contracted into a long beak, orifice obliquely truncate. Nutlets yellow, tightly enveloped, obovate, trigonous, ca. 3 mm; style base persistent, not thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Mar-Apr.
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