Rhizome short, woody. Culms 10-25 cm tall, slender, smooth, often pendent, clothed at base with brown sheaths disintegrating into fibers. Leaves shorter than culm, blades finely linear, ca. 1 mm wide, slightly weakly curved. Involucral bracts leaflike, shorter than inflorescence, sheathing. Spikes 3-6; terminal spike male, 8-12 × 0.2-0.3 cm, oblong, upper spikes with short peduncles, lowest spike with a long peduncle, remote. Female glumes dark purple-red, 1/2-2/3 length of utricle, ovate, 2.6-3 mm, margins very narrowly white hyaline, green 3-veined costa forming a mucro, apex acute. Utricles gray-green, longer than glume, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, compressed trigonous, 4.2-4.5 mm, membranous, hirsute, faintly veined, base shortly stipitate, apex gradually attenuate into a beak, orifice 2-toothed. Nutlets brown, oblong, ca. 2.2 mm, base with short stipe ca. 0.5 mm; style slightly scabrous, base hirsute; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
Home