Rhizome short, ligneous, without stolons. Culms densely tufted, 80-140 cm tall, slightly stout, obtusely trigonous, smooth. Leaves basal and cauline, shorter than culm, blades 3-4 mm wide, conduplicate at base and distally gradually flattened, scabrous on both surfaces and margins, long sheathed; sheaths near base black-brown. Involucral bracts sheathed, lower involucral bract blades leafy, upper blades setaceous; sheaths 0.5-6 cm. Spikes numerous, loosely arranged in a panicle, androgynous, male part shorter than female part, linear-cylindric, 10-25 mm, with few male flowers at apex, loosely with female flowers at lower part, slender and rather long pedunculate. Female glumes brown-yellow, ovate, ca. 2 mm, membranous, green costate, apex acute, muticous. Utricles yellow-green, suberect, longer than glume, elliptic, plano-convex, ca. 3 mm, 5-7-veined abaxially, base abruptly contracted into a short stipe, apex gradually narrowed to a medium-sized beak, beak laxly ciliate on margins, ca. 1/3 length of utricle, orifice shortly 2-toothed, usually purple-brown on margins. Nutlets tightly enveloped, elliptic, compressed biconvex, ca. 1.7 mm; style equaling or longer than utricle, base slightly thickened; stigmas 2. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.