Plants colonial; rhizomes long-creeping. Culms lateral, trigonous, 15–100 cm, smooth or slightly scabrous-angled. Leaves: basal sheaths reddish purple, usually fibrillose, bladeless, apex of inner band glabrous; ligules (1.2–)2–12 mm; blades green, flat or M-shaped except at base and tip, midvein of blades and proximal bracts forming sharply pointed keel, (2–)2.2–4.5(–6) mm wide, tip not prolonged, glabrous. Inflorescences 5–30 cm; peduncles of terminal spikes (0.8–)2–9 cm; proximal 1–3(–4) spikes pistillate, ascending; distal spikes erect; terminal 1–3 spikes staminate. Pistillate scales lanceolate to ovate, apex acute to acuminate-awned, glabrous or scabrous-margined apically. Perigynia ascending, broadly ovoid, 2.4–5.2 × 1.7–2.8 mm, densely pubescent, obscuring cellular details and veination; beak (0.6–)0.8–1.6 mm, firm, bidentulate, teeth straight, 0.4–0.8 mm. 2n = 78.