Rhizome short, without stolons. Culms densely tufted, 15-50 cm tall, triquetrous, smooth, clothed at base with sheaths splitting into fibers. Leaves slightly longer or sometimes slightly shorter than culm, blades 3-5 mm wide, flat, margins scabrous; sheaths usually splitting at membranous part. Lower involucral bracts leaflike, sheathed, upper blades setaceous, sheathless. Spikes 5-8; terminal spike gynaecandrous, rarely male, clavate-cylindric; lateral spikes female or sometimes with a few male flowers at base, usually 1 or 2 spikes exserted from an involucral bract sheath, cylindric, 2.5-4.5 cm, densely many flowered; peduncles slender, gradually shorter upward. Female glumes yellowish white, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 4.8 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex mucronate. Utricles stramineous, longer than glume, suberect, elliptic, plano-convex, ca. 7 mm, membranous, red-brown punctate, slightly shiny, inconspicuously 5-veined, base abruptly contracted into a short stipe, apex gradually narrowed to a long beak, scabrous on margins of upper part and beak, orifice shallowly 2-toothed. Nutlets stramineous, very loosely enveloped, elliptic, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, base shortly stipitate; style slender; stigmas 3. Fr. Apr-May.
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