Plants densely cespitose; rhizome internodes 0.2–6(–8) mm, 1.6–2.2 mm thick. Culms strongly purple-red to (3.4–)5.5–9.6 cm high at base, 14–60 cm. Leaves: sheaths glabrous; blades green, widest blades (3–)3.5–6.5 mm wide, smooth abaxially. Inflorescences 0.55–0.96 of culm height; peduncles of lateral spikes barely scaberulous or smooth; peduncles of terminal spike 2.4–49 mm, barely to much exceeding lateral spikes; proximal bract sheaths tight, abaxially glabrous, sheath front truncate or slightly convex, elongated to 3.1(–4.8) mm beyond apex; ligules 0.7–3.8(–13.4) mm; blades uniformly green, distal bract usually much exceeding terminal spike. Spikes 3–6, widely separate or distal 2–3 overlapping; lateral spikes pistillate, with (2–)5–14 perigynia, (4–)9–24 × (1.6–)2.9–6.4(–6.9) mm, ratio of spike length (in mm) to flower number = 1.5–2.3; terminal spikes (6–)14–26(–30) × (0.8–)1.3–2.5(–3) mm. Pistillate scales 2.8–4.5 × (1.2–)1.7–2.2 mm, margins whitish or tinged pale red-brown, entire, apex with awn 0.3–2.5 mm. Staminate scales 3.3–4.9 × 1.1–1.7 mm. Anthers 2.2–3.2 mm. Perigynia distichously imbricate, 57–69-veined, unwrinkled, oblong or elliptic to narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic, obtusely triangular in cross section, (3.9–)4.2–4.9(–5.1) × (1.4–)1.6–1.8 mm, (2.4–)2.5–3.3 times as long as wide, dull, base very gradually tapered, apex gradually tapered; beak absent or straight, 0–0.3 mm. Achenes obovoid, 2.8–3.7 × 1.3–1.7 mm, tightly enveloped by perigynia; stipe straight; beak straight, (0.3–)0.4–0.7 mm.
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