Rhizome short. Culms 10-30 cm tall, slender, obtusely trigonous, smooth. Basal sheaths brown. Leaves longer than culm, blades 1.5-2(-3) mm wide, flat, scabrid. Basal involucral bract bristlelike, shorter than inflorescence, shortly sheathed, sheath 3-4 mm. Spikes 3 or 4, upper ones contiguous, lowest one slightly spaced; terminal spike male, oblong-linear or linear, sessile or shortly pedunculate; lateral spikes female, cylindric, 5-15 × 2-3 mm, slightly densely flowered, upper ones subsessile, lowest one with peduncle enclosed in involucral bract sheath or shortly exserted. Female glumes pale brown, obovate-oblong, ca. 2 mm, green costa 1-veined, apex acute, usually mucronate or shortly awned. Utricles pale yellow-green, longer than or nearly equaling glume, ovate-fusiform, obtusely trigonous, 2-2.5 mm, membranous, sparsely puberulent or subglabrous, many veined, base attenuate and shortly stipitate, apex contracted into a conic beak, orifice truncate or emarginate. Nutlet tightly enveloped, ovate, 1.5-2 mm, base shortly stipitate, apex discoid-annulate; style base conically thickened; stigmas 3.