Rhizome short, woody. Culms densely tufted, 25-60 cm tall, trigonous, smooth. Leaves basal, almost equaling or longer than culm, blades linear, ca. 2 mm wide, flat, scabrous above, rigid, with brown-green sheaths, lowest sheath bladeless. Lowest involucral bract leaflike, longer than inflorescence. Spikes 4-7, androgynous, linear-cylindric, 3-4 cm, upper ones usually binate, lower ones single, rarely branched at base, with long peduncles. Female glumes reddish, ovate-oblong, 1-veined costa excurrent into a mucro. Utricles yellowish green, longer than glume, elliptic, obtusely trigonous, 3-4 mm, glabrous, many veined, base contracted, apex gradually narrowed into a beak of medium length, orifice truncate, hyaline. Nutlets loosely enveloped, trigonous, ca. 1.5 mm; style base thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. May-Jul.
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