Rhizome long creeping. Culms 40-60 cm tall, trigonous, smooth, clothed at base with purple-reddish sheaths disintegrating into fibers. Leaves slightly shorter than culm, blades linear, 2-3 mm wide, leathery, stiff. Lower involucral bracts leaflike, shorter than inflorescence, sheathing, 3-4 mm, purple-reddish, upper blades setaceous. Spikes numerous, arising single or binate from involucral bract axil; upper 1-3 male, 1-3 cm; remaining spikes androgynous, male part longer than or equaling female part, with slender smooth peduncles. Female glumes purple-reddish, oblong, ca. 3 mm, green 3-veined at middle, upper margins white hyaline, apex obtuse. Utricles olive-green, equaling or longer than glume, long cylindric, trigonous, 3-3.5 mm, densely hispidulous, many veined, base shortly stipitate, apex gradually tapering into a short beak, orifice entire. Nutlets tightly enveloped, oblong, trigonous, 3-5 mm, base curved stipitate, apex abruptly contracted into a short beak; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.