Rhizome short, ligneous. Culms 35-75 cm tall, slightly thick, triquetrous, smooth, scabrous on upper part. Leaves usually longer than culm, blades 3-6 mm wide, flat, distinctly 2-veined laterally, scabrous on both surfaces and margins; sheaths long, usually dehiscent. Involucral bracts leaflike, much longer than subtending spike, sheathed. Spikes 4, uppermost 2 contiguous at top of culm, lower ones rather remote; terminal spike male, narrowly cylindric, 2.5-3 cm, with very short peduncle; lateral spikes female, cylindric, 2.5-5.5 cm, densely many flowered, uppermost 1 with very short peduncle, remaining spikes with rather long peduncles, enclosed in involucral bract sheaths and shortly exserted. Female glumes pale yellow, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 2 mm (excluding length of awn), membranous, 1-3-veined, apex with long awn, awn up to 6 mm and scabrous on margins. Utricles dark brown, obliquely patent, broadly ovate, trigonous, ca. 4 mm, membranous, glabrous, few veined abaxially, base abruptly contracted, apex attenuate into a medium-sized to long beak, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets yellowish, rather tightly enveloped, obovate or suborbicular, trigonous, ca. 2 mm; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. May-Jun.
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