Rhizome with slender stolons. Culms 20-70 cm tall, slightly stout, obtusely trigonous, smooth on lower part and scabrid on top, yellow-brown sheathed at base. Leaves longer than or equaling culm, blades 4-8 mm wide, flat, ± stiff, with transverse septate nodes between veins, sheathed. Involucral bracts leaflike, surpassing inflorescence, usually without sheaths or sometimes lowermost one shortly sheathed. Spikes usually 3, rarely 2 or 4; terminal spike male, clavate, 1.5-2 cm, shortly pedunculate; lateral spikes female, rather approximate, subglobose or oblong-ovate, 1.5-2 × ca. 1.5 cm, densely many flowered, nearly sessile or shortly pedunculate. Female glumes yellowish laterally, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 5.5 mm, membranous, 3-veined, yellowish brown between veins, apex acuminate, sometimes mucronulate. Utricles stramineous or yellowish brown, obliquely patent, later horizontally patent or reflexed, much longer than glume, broadly ovate or ovate, inflated trigonous, ca. 10 mm, thinly leathery, nitid, glabrous, distinctly 5-veined abaxially, base subrounded, rather shortly stipitate, apex gradually narrowed to a stiff beak, orifice sharply 2-toothed. Nutlets fuscous, rather pale on angles, very loosely enveloped, broadly rhomboid, trigonous, ca. 3 mm, base shortly stipitate; style flexuose, persistent, base slightly thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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