Plants loosely cespitose, short-rhizomatous, shoots less than 2.5 cm apart. Culms 30–75 cm, smooth to finely scabrous distally. Leaves: proximal sheaths with or without blades, reddish purple tinged, 3–6.5 mm diam.; ligules 2.5–12 mm, more than 2 times longer than wide; blades of vegetative culms 12–50 cm, evergreen, those of fertile culms green, flat to revolute, 5–20 cm × 3.5–6 mm, herbaceous. Inflorescences 16–32 cm, 1–1.6 times longer than proximal bract; proximal bract 8–19 cm, sheath 1.5–5 cm, blade 7–14 cm; pistillate spikes linear or linear-oblong, 1.5–3.5 cm × 3–8 mm; lateral spikes erect or ascending on stiff peduncles. Pistillate scales purple-brown, apex obtuse or short-awned, frequently papillose. Perigynia ascending to spreading, loosely to densely arranged, greenish, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.25 mm, faintly papillose; beak 0–0.7 mm, often bent. Achenes yellowish brown, 1.8–2.5 × 1.4–1.6 mm.
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