Plants densely cespitose; rhizome internodes 0.2–6(–8) mm, 1.6–2.2 mm thick. Culms strongly purple-red to (3.7–)4.7–11.7 cm high at base, 6–34 cm; longest vegetative shoots (0.8–)1.4–4.4 times as long as longest culms. Leaves: sheaths glabrous; blades green, widest blades 2–3.6 mm wide, smooth abaxially. Inflorescences (0.88–)0.94–0.99 of culm height; peduncles of lateral spikes barely scaberulous or smooth; peduncles of terminal spikes 4.8–86 mm, barely to much exceeding lateral spikes; proximal bract sheaths tight, abaxially glabrous, sheath front apex concave or truncate; ligules 1–4.9(–9.6) mm; blades uniformly green, distal bract usually much exceeding terminal spike. Spikes 3–5, widely separate or distal 2–3 spikes overlapping, proximalmost spike basal; lateral spikes pistillate, with 2–8(–10) perigynia, (4–)9–17 × 3.6–6.9 mm, ratio of spike length (in mm) to flower number = 1.5–3.8; terminal spikes 19–34 × 1.6–2.9(–3.1) mm. Pistillate scales 1.8–6.3 × 1.4–2.1 mm, bodies 1.5–2.1(–2.5) mm, margins whitish, entire, apex with awn 0.3–4.5 mm or rarely awnless. Staminate scales 3.8–6 × 1.4–1.7 mm. Anthers 3.8–4.2 mm. Perigynia distichously imbricate, 51–67-veined, unwrinkled, narrowly obovoid-ellipsoid, obtusely triangular in cross section, 3.7–4.9 × 1.9–2.1(–2.3) mm, 1.7–2.4 times as long as wide, dull, base gradually tapered, apex abruptly contracted; beak straight, 0.3–0.7 mm. Achenes obovoid, 2.6–3.4 × 1.7–2.1 mm, tightly enveloped by perigynia; stipe straight, 0.1–0.6 mm; beak straight, 0.05–0.1(–0.15) mm.
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