Rhizome rather long. Culms tufted, 20-35 cm tall, slender, soft, compressed trigonous, smooth. Basal sheaths chestnut-brown, split into fibers. Leaves shorter than culm, blades 2-3 mm wide, flat, slightly scabrid, margins scabrid. Involucral bracts bristlelike, shorter than subtending spike, sheathed, sheath 1-2.2 cm. Spikes 3-5, spaced; terminal spike male, narrowly cylindric, 25-40 × 2-3 mm, with peduncle 2.5-4 cm; lateral spikes female, linear, 13-27 × 1.5-2 mm, loosely flowered, peduncles enclosed in involucral bract sheath. Female glumes pale yellow-brown, ovate, 2-2.5 mm (excluding mucro), distinct midvein excurrent into a mucro, apex truncate or acute. Utricles pale green, slightly longer than or equaling glume, elliptic, trigonous, ca. 3 mm, shortly hirsute, many veined, base attenuate, apex attenuate into a slightly recurved beak, orifice truncate. Nutlet pale brown, tightly enveloped, obovate-elliptic, trigonous, ca. 2.5 mm, base stipitate, apex discoid-annulate; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Apr-May.