Plants tufted, 8-28 cm, without stolons. Culms lateral, shorter to longer than leaves, slender. Leaves basal, clustered, 10-25 × 0.5-2.5 cm, blades oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, herbaceous to thickly papery, glabrous, many veined, midvein protruding abaxially and sunken adaxially, base narrowed into petiole, margins entire or slightly rugose, apex long acuminate or caudate. Involucral bracts purplish, sheathlike, with a bristlelike blade, shorter than sheath. Terminal spike male, linear, 1-4 × ca. 0.1 cm, male flowers compact, glumes purplish brown, oblong, ca. 3 × 1 mm, membranous; lateral spikes 2-4, female or with a few male flowers at top, 0.8-4 × 0.1-0.3 cm. Female glumes brown, broadly ovate, ca. 2 × 1.1 mm, membranous, midrib yellowish green or paler, apex acute or rounded. Utricles dark brown, narrowly elliptic, ca. 3.5 × 1 mm, upper margins ciliate, base with a greenish stipe 0.3-0.5 mm, apex long beaked, orifice with 2 small teeth. Nutlets brown, elliptic-oblong, ca. 2 × 1 mm, smooth. Fl. and fr. May-Jul.