Rhizome ligneous. Culms tufted, 30-60 cm tall, slightly slender, smooth. Leaves longer than culm, blade 2-3 mm wide, flat, ± stiff, with brown sheath. Lower involucral bracts leaflike, longer than inflorescence, sheathed, upper blades of involucral bracts setaceous, very shortly sheathed. Spikes 4-9; terminal spike male or sometimes only with male flowers at base or apex, with remaining flowers female; lateral spikes usually androgynous, rarely with few male flowers at base, oblong or oblong-cylindric, 1.5-2.5 cm, densely many flowered; peduncles slender. Female glumes pale yellowish, ovate-oblong, 3.5-4 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex acute or obtuse. Utricles stramineous, longer than glume, suberect, narrowly elliptic, plano-convex, 5-6 mm, red-fuscous punctate, inconspicuously 5-veined, base cuneate, apex abruptly attenuate into a long beak, scabrous on upper and beak margins, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets fuscous, loosely enveloped, broadly elliptic, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, base shortly stipitate; style long; stigmas 3.
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