Herb, dioecious, caespitose perennial, forming small or large dense tussocks, 10–30 cm across at base. Rhizome to c. 2 cm long, 2–4 mm diam.; scales appressed, overlapping, straw-coloured, covering a pale woolly pubescence. Cataphylls appressed, pale brown, 1–2 cm long. Culms dimorphic, crowded, usually erect and rigid at the base, becoming repeatedly branched, flexuose to sinuous, often densely intertwined, terete, 10–80 cm long, 0.5–1.5 mm diam., striate, glabrous, light-to yellowish-green; internodes numerous, 3–9 cm long, the lowest internode usually pubescent; vegetative culms mostly present, short and slender, with sinuous branches. Sheaths open distally but mostly not recurved, 1–2 cm long, bright-red when young, becoming light-to dark-brown, striate, often the adaxial surface pilose with long hairs; apex acute to acuminate; lamina erect, 1–2 mm long. Inflorescence: with numerous terminal and sessile to shortly pedicellate spikelets singly or several together on flexuose branches, red when young. Spathes similar to sheaths. Male spikelets ovoid, 4–7 mm long, 2–3 mm wide. Female spikelets narrow when young, becoming ovoid, 5–9 mm long. Male glumes: lower 5–11 sterile, upper 8–10 fertile, ovate, brown, glabrous, acutely-acuminate to mucronate, 1.5–3 mm long. Female glumes: lower 1–5 sterile, upper 1 or 2 fertile, light brown, ovate, mucronate, 3.0–5.2 mm long; mucro dark, 0.5–1.7 mm long. Male flowers: tepals 6, membranous, hyaline, lanceolate, truncate or obtuse; outer tepals keeled, 2.3–2.7 mm long; inner tepals 2.0–2.5 mm long, flat; stamens 3; filaments 2.5–3.0 mm long; anthers 1.3–1.9 mm long. Female flowers: tepals 6, similar to males, 2.8–3.8 mm long; staminodes 3; styles 2, free, half stigmatic. Capsule 1.5–2.4 mm long. Seed oblong, dark brown with a thin white surface layer, c. 1.2 mm long, colliculate with lines of convex cells, with a fine network of narrow ridges between the convex cells. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma interrupted by pillar cells.
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