Rhizome creeping, woody. Culms 16-30 cm tall, compressed trigonous, smooth, clothed at base with pale brown sheaths disintegrating into fibers. Leaves shorter than or equaling culm, blades light green, linear, 2-5 mm wide, slightly rigid, margins scabrous, revolute. Involucral bracts shortly bladed, sheathing. Spikes 3-5, distant; terminal spikes male, clavate-cylindric, ca. 1 cm; lateral spikes female, often with male flowers at apex, ovate, 3-5-flowered, 6-8 mm; peduncles scabrous, upper 2 enclosed, lower 2 exserted. Female glumes yellowish white, oblong, green 3-veined costa excurrent into a scabrous mucro at subtruncate apex. Utricles yellow-green, subequaling glume, obliquely patent, obovate, inflated trigonous, 5-6 mm, hirsute, many veined, apex abruptly contracted into a cylindric beak, orifice 2-toothed. Nutlets tightly enveloped, obovate, trigonous with angles constricted at middle, faces concave at base, base shortly stipitate, apical beak expanding into a discoid-annulate orifice; style base enlarged; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Mar-May.
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