Herb, dioecious, rhizomatous perennial, forming large tussocks to 20 cm across. Rhizomes stout, shortly horizontal, to c. 7 cm long, 4–5 mm diam., with scales 2–3 mm long and dense, pale, woolly pubescence. Cataphylls pale brown or red-brown, appressed, 1–2 cm long. Culms not dimorphic, crowded, erect, straight, terete, unbranched, 60–75 (–100) cm long, 1.0–1.5 mm diam., striate, glabrous or shortly pubescent basally. Sheaths narrow, lax and spreading above the middle, 1.3–1.5 cm long, dark to light brown, glabrous, margin pilose, acute; lamina filiform, c. 4 mm long. Inflorescence of 8–14 (females) or many (males) spikelets sessile or shortly pedicellate at successive upper nodes of the culm or short erect branches. Male spikelets ovoid, 4–6 mm long, c. 2 mm wide. Female spikelets ovoid-cylindrical, 10–12 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, to 6 mm wide in fruit. Male glumes: lower 2–10 sterile, upper c. 6–30 fertile, broadly oblong, brown with hyaline margins, glabrous, mucronate, 3.0–3.5 mm long; mucro 0.8–2.1 mm long. Female glumes: lower 7–9 sterile, upper 2–8 fertile, oblong-ovate, rigid, brown with hyaline margins, glabrous, 4.0–7.5 mm long, tapering abruptly; mucro prominent, rigid, stout, recurved, 1–2.4 mm long. Male flowers sessile; tepals 5 or 6, narrow linear-lanceolate, 2.8–3.1 mm long, acute, brown; outer tepals keeled, rigid, pubescent along keel; inner tepals flat, glabrous; stamens 3; filaments 2.4–4.0 mm long; anthers 1.7–2.0 mm long. Female flowers pedicellate; tepals 5 or 6, rigid; outer tepals keeled, 4.5–6.0 mm long; inner tepals flat, 5.5–6.5 mm long; styles 2, connate at base; branches stigmatic. Capsule flat, c. 2 mm long, c. 3 mm wide, smooth, brown. Seed ovoid, c. 1.5 mm long, with prominent longitudinal ridges. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma interrupted by pillar cells.
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