Rhizome very short. Stems tufted, erect, triquetrous, smooth, for the greater part hidden by the leaf-sheaths, 40-60 cm by 2-3 mm. Leaves of normal length only in the upper half of the stem, exceeding the inflorescence, flattish to strongly revolute, stiff, greyish green, asperous above towards the long-attenuated apices, 3-7 mm wide, merging above into the foliaceous lower bracts and below into short-bladed to bladeless, purplish, rather tight sheaths; ligule obtuse, membranous, ferrugineous. Spikelets 4-9, erect or suberect, cylindric, dense-flowered, 1.5-4 cm long, upper approximate, fastigiate, on included or shortly exserted peduncles, lower somewhat distant, on scarcely to long-exserted, scabrid peduncles; terminal spikelet male, 1-2 mm thick, sometimes a second, smaller male spikelet added; remaining spikelets female, 4-6 mm thick. Lower bracts foliaceous, exceeding the inflorescence, their sheaths hispidulous especially near the mouth, upper much reduced. Glumes ovate, obtuse to acutish, transparent, glabrous or hispidulous at the top, pale with hyaline margins and 3-nerved, greenish central stripe, covered with resinous flecks and streaks, muticous or mucronulate, 1.5-2.5 mm long. Utricles ellipsoid, trigonous, submembranous, obliquely patent, with 2 marginal nerves displaced on to the dorsal face, densely white-hispid, broadly stipitate, 3-3.75 by 1.25-1.75 mm, abruptly narrowed into a c. 1 mm long, bidentate, finally somewhat upcurved beak. Nut ellipsoid, triquetrous, c. 2 mm long. Style-base thickened. Stigmas 3.
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Rhizome thick and short, ligneous, without stolons. Culms tufted, 60-80 cm tall, slightly slender, stiff, obtusely trigonous, with brown and bladeless sheaths at base. Leaves rather dense, upper leaves longer than culm, lower ones rather short, blades 5-6 mm wide, revolute on margins, with transverse septate nodes between veins on abaxial surface; sheaths rather long, overlapping, purple-red and ligulate at sheath mouth. Involucral bracts leaflike, longer than inflorescence, sheathed. Spikes 6-9, upper spikes approximate, lower spikes rather remote; terminal spike male, narrowly cylindric, 2-3 cm, shortly pedunculate; lateral spikes female, cylindric, 2-3 cm, densely many flowered, shortly pedunculate. Female glumes pale yellow, shortly ferruginous striate, broadly ovate, ca. 1.8 mm, membranous, green 1-veined, apex acute. Utricles yellowish green, shortly ferruginous striate, suberect, longer than glume, broadly obovate, obtusely trigonous, ca. 3 mm, membranous, densely white hispidulous, distinctly 2-veined laterally, base abruptly narrowed to a short stipe, apex abruptly narrowed to a rather short beak, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets tightly enveloped in utricle, broadly elliptic, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, base abruptly narrowed to a short stipe, apex acute; style short, base slightly thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.
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