Rhizome short, long stoloniferous. Culms densely tufted, 15-20 cm tall, acutely triquetrous, scabrous on angles, bladeless sheathed at base. Leaves slightly longer than culm, blades 2-4 mm wide, distinctly 2-veined laterally, scabrous on lateral veins and margins, slightly involute on margins at dry stage, membranous part of sheaths usually splitting. Involucral bracts leaflike, longer than subtending spike, not sheathed. Spikes 3 or 4, usually congregate at top of culm, distance short; terminal spike male, clavate, 1.5-2 cm, very shortly pedunculate; lateral spikes female, elliptic, oblong, or narrowly oblong, 1.2-2.5 cm, densely many flowered, lower spikes shortly pedunculate, upper spikes nearly sessile. Male glumes stramineous, lanceolate, ca. 4 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex acute; female glumes stramineous, ovate, 2.5-3 mm, sometimes ferruginous puncticulate, 1-veined, apex acute, mucronate. Utricles brown-yellow, obliquely patent, horizontally patent at maturity, longer than glume, ovoid, inflated trigonous, ca. 5 mm, membranous, glabrous, distinctly several veined, base rounded, estipitate, apex abruptly contracted into a short recurved beak, orifice obliquely truncate, sometimes emarginate. Nutlets loosely enveloped, obovate, trigonous, slightly concave on 3 sides, ca. 1.5 mm, base acute, apex mucronate; style ± long; stigmas 3.