Rhizome short. Culms ca. 75 cm tall, obtusely trigonous, smooth. Leaves cauline and basal, shorter than or subequaling culm, blades 3-6 mm wide, smooth on both surfaces, base plicate and flattened distally, upper margins scabrous; sheaths long, brownish, adaxially membranous, usually split. Involucral bracts leaflike, upper blade linear; lowest sheath ca. 3 cm, upper rather short. Spikes 10 or more, 3 or 4 spikes racemosely disposed and 3-5 racemes composed in a narrowly conic panicle, androgynous, female part longer than male part, cylindric, male part linear, (1-)2.5-4 cm; peduncles very short or nearly absent. Female glumes brownish yellow, ovate, 2-2.5 mm, membranous, green 1-veined, apex acute, mucronate. Utricles stramineous, longer than glume, obliquely patent, obovate-elliptic or obovate-oblong, trigonous, ca. 3.5 mm, membranous, 3-veined abaxially, base stipitate, apex abruptly attenuate into a short beak, beak slightly recurved, shortly 2-toothed at orifice. Nutlets brownish yellow, tightly enveloped, elliptic, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, base estipitate, apex mucronate; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Sep-Oct.