Rhizome long creeping, woody. Culms lateral, 30-45 cm tall, compressed trigonous, slightly scabrous above, clothed at base with brown sheaths slightly disintegrating into fibers. Leaves subequaling culm, blades pale green, broadly linear, 6-8 mm wide, flat, margins scabrous. Involucral bracts shortly bladed, long sheathing. Spikes 2 or 3, distant; terminal spike male, clavate-oblong, 1.5-2 cm; lateral spikes female, oblong, 1-2 cm, loosely flowered; peduncles enclosed. Female glumes pale ferruginous, oblong-ovate, green scabrous 3-veined costa excurrent into an awn. Utricles yellow-green, longer than glume, obliquely patent, obovate-elliptic (excluding beak), obtusely trigonous, 6-7 mm (including beak), membranous, glabrous, faintly veined, base contracted into a stipe, apex abruptly contracted into a compressed cylindric, scabrous, long beak, orifice deeply 2-lobed with long teeth. Nutlets tightly enveloped, obovate, obtusely trigonous angles not constricted, faces concave at base, base with short stipe ca. 0.5 mm; style base slightly thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jun.