Herb, dioecious, caespitose, perennial, forming dense clumps to 1 (–1.5) m across. Rhizomes short, horizontal, much-branched, to 3 cm long, 3 mm diam.; scales short, straw-coloured, covering a pale pubescence. Culms mostly not dimorphic, crowded, initially erect and unbranched, with 3 or 4 long internodes, but usually branched and sinuose distally, terete, 30–60 cm long, 1.0–1.4 mm diam., striate, mostly glabrous or the basal internode occasionally pubescent; sometimes with clusters of short, sinuous, vegetative branches; vegetative culms (if present) short, slender, with sinuous branches. Sheaths spreading in the upper half, (0.8–) 1–2 cm long, red-brown aging grey; apex obtuse or truncate, ciliate; lamina 1.5–3 mm long. Inflorescence: branches to 10 cm long, with 2–10 (males) or 1–4 (females) sessile or pedicellate spikelets distally. Male spikelets ovoid, 4.5–6 mm long, 3–4 mm wide. Female spikelets elliptic to ovoid, 8–14 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, to 8 mm wide in fruit. Male glumes: lower 12–15 sterile; upper 11–16 fertile, broad-ovate, brown, acute, 3.0–3.7 mm long; mucro (0.5–) 1.5–3 mm long; Female glumes: lower 11–25 sterile; upper 2 or 3 fertile, similar to males, obtuse to acute, 3.5–6.0 mm long; mucro 1.5–3 mm long. Male flowers: tepals 5 or 6, pale brown, membranous, 2.5–3.0 mm long; outer tepals keeled, pubescent; inner tepals flat, narrow-lanceolate, acute; stamens 3; filaments stout, dilated at the base, 3.0–4.0 mm long; anthers c. 1.5–2.0 mm long. Female flowers: tepals 5, brown, lanceolate, 4.7–6.3 mm long; 2 outer tepals keeled and pubescent; inner tepals flat, 1.1–1.5 mm long; styles 2, bases connate. Capsule (2.2–) 2.4–2.8 mm long, smooth, glossy, brown. Seeds ovoid, 1.4–2 mm long, with prominent longitudinal ridges. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma interrupted by pillar cells.
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