Herb, dioecious, rhizomatous, perennial, forming large clumps or patches to 40 cm across. Rhizome horizontal, to c. 10 cm long, 2.5–4.5 mm diam., densely pubescent; partly covered by brown to pale-brown, scarious scales. Cataphylls appressed, 1–1.5 cm long. Culms rarely dimorphic, spaced to 1 cm apart, erect, straight, terete, unbranched, 30–80 cm long, 1–2 mm diam., mostly glabrous but the lowest internodes shortly woolly pubescent; internodes several, c. 3–10 cm long; vegetative culms when present short, slender, branched and sinuous. Sheaths appressed at the base, distally lax, narrow-obovate, 1.0–2.5 cm long, striate, pale to red-brown; apex obtuse to truncate, shortly ciliate; lamina narrow, erect, 1–2 mm long with a narrow, membranous margin. Inflorescence narrow, erect, 4–20 cm long; spathes similar to sheaths but shorter. Male spikelets narrow-ellipsoid, 7–9 mm long, c. 2 mm wide. Female spikelets narrow-obovoid, 9–12 mm long, 2–4 mm wide; glumes spreading to spikelet campanulate and 7 mm wide in fruit. Male glumes: 5–12 sterile lower glumes, 5–7 fertile upper glumes; narrow-lanceolate, light-to dark-brown, glabrous, acuminate, 6.0–7.5 mm long. Female glumes: lower 4–8 sterile, upper 2–3 fertile, narrow-elliptical, light-to dark-brown, glabrous, mucronate, 7–9 mm long; mucro dark brown, 0.5–1.0 cm long. Male flowers: tepals 5 or 6, narrow linear, membranous, brown; outer tepals sparsely pubescent, 5–6 mm long; inner tepals flat, glabrous, 4.0–4.5 mm long; filaments 5–6 mm long; anthers c. 2.4 mm long. Female flowers: tepals 5, narrow-lanceolate; outer tepals 6–7 mm long; inner tepals 4–5 mm long; staminodes 3; ovary 2-locular, but sometimes only 1 locule developing. Capsule c. 3.5–4 mm long, smooth, brown. Seeds oblong, c. 1.9 mm long; the surface white, colliculate with lines of convex cells. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma interrupted by pillar cells.
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