Rhizome slender, elongate. Culms densely or loosely tufted, 5-20 cm tall, subterete, smooth. Leaves shorter than culm, blades involute, needlelike, hard, smooth. Inflorescence 1-spiked, terminal, androgynous, oblong, ca. 1 cm; male part very short, 5-7-flowered; female part longer than male part, 4-12-flowered. Female glumes dark brown to brown, caducous, elliptic-oblong, ca. 3 mm, 3-veined, margins hyaline, apex obtuse. Utricles pale brown, suberect first, reflexed at maturity, eventually with short bent stipe, longer than glume, lanceolate-acicular, subglobose in transverse section, 3.5-4.5 mm, smooth, papery, somewhat many veined, base spongy, apex gradually attenuate into a beak, orifice hyaline and subtruncate. Nutlet oblong, ca. 2 mm, with very short stipe embraced in spongy base of utricle; rachilla hard, pointed at apex, exserted part up to 2 mm; stigmas 3, exserted. Fl. and fr. May-Aug.
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