Rhizome ligneous. Culms densely tufted, 30-80 cm tall, triquetrous, 1-1.5 mm thick. Leaves slightly shorter than or equaling culm, flat, blades 3-5 mm wide, rigid, stiff, scabridulous on both surfaces, slightly revolute on margins, base attenuate into a stipe; stipe stiff, rigid, glabrous; sheaths brown, persistent, eventually disintegrating into fibers. Involucral bracts brown-red, spathelike, obliquely truncate at mouth of involucral bract sheath, without involucral bract leaf. Spikes 4-7, rather remote; terminal spike male, cylindric, 4-8 cm, 3-4 mm thick, densely many flowered, peduncle 4-5 cm, taller than adjacent female spike; lateral spikes female, linear-cylindric, 2.5-3.5 cm, ca. 3 mm thick, densely many flowered, peduncles slender, rather long exserted from involucral bract sheath. Male glumes 8-8.5 mm, apex truncate; female glumes brown or brown-red laterally, green at middle, oblong, 3.5-3.8 mm, hispidulous on upper part, 1-veined, scabrous on vein, margins broadly white hyaline, apex rounded, mucronate. Utricles green, obovate-oblong, obtusely trigonous, 2.5-3.1 mm, thickly papery, densely hispidulous, not distinctly veined laterally, thinly several veined, base attenuate into a curved stipe, apex contracted into a curved short beak, orifice truncate. Nutlets brown at maturity, obovate-oblong or obovate, trigonous, 1.8-2 mm; style erect or bent, base thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Mar-May.
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