Perennial, the rhizome emitting slender stolons clothed with broadly ovate-lanceolate, brownish scales. Stems stoutish, solitary, triquetrous with somewhat concave sides, smooth, up to 90 cm by 5-7 mm. Leaves few, shorter than to as long as the stems, flat or canaliculate, gradually acuminate, scabrous on the margins in the upper part, 5-10 mm wide; basal sheaths often bladeless, somewhat spongy. Inflorescence simple, relatively small. Involucral bracts 3-4, patent to reflexed, the lower 2 very long, much overtopping the inflorescence. Rays 2-5, unequal, erect or suberect, firm, short, rarely up to 5(-9) cm. Spikes ovoid or oblong-ovoid, very dense, up to 5 by 4 cm; rachis hispidulous. Spikelets spicately arranged, patent to reflexed, oblong to linear, compressed, 10-20(-40)-flowered, 6-20 by 2½-3 mm; rachilla straight, wingless or nearly so, persistent; internodes ½-¾ mm. Glumes membranous, obliquely erect, boat-shaped, ovate, subacute, minutely mucronulate, 7-9-nerved, stramineous to reddish brown, ⅔ imbricate, 2½-3 by 2 mm, the keel antrorsely hispid-scabrous at least towards the top; margins hyaline. Stamens 3; anthers oblong-linear, ¾-1 mm long, with short, smooth, reddish appendage of the connective. Stigmas 3. Nut triquetrous, broadly ellipsoid or obovoid, apiculate, broadly stipitate, black, 1¼-1½ by 0.8-0.9 mm.
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Perennials. Rhizomes stoloniferous. Culms 60-80 cm tall, slightly stout, compressed triquetrous, smooth. Leaves basal, slightly shorter than or subequaling culm; sheath brown and purplish red striate, basalmost bladeless; leaf blade ca. 8 mm wide, with short and transverse septate nodes, midvein and margin scabrous, basally folded, apically flat. Involucral bracts 3 or 4, leaflike, much longer than inflorescence, longest to 25 cm. Inflorescence a simple anthela; rays 3-5, 2.5-12 cm, each with a spike; raylets absent. Spikes ovoid to ellipsoid, ca. 2.5 × 1.8 cm, with several to many spikelets; rachis slightly densely yellowish brown hispidulous. Spikelets slightly densely arranged, spreading, narrowly linear-ovoid to linear-oblong, 0.8-1.2 cm × ca. 2.5 mm, subturgid, 12-30(-40)-flowered; rachilla wings white, narrow, hyaline. Glumes yellowish on both surfaces with purple striae, slightly densely arranged, ovate, 2.5-3 mm, membranous, 7-9-veined, keel green and spinulose especially distally, margin white hyaline, apex obtuse and mucronate. Stamens 3; anthers oblong, 0.7-1 mm; connective prominent beyond anthers. Style short; stigmas 3, ± longer than style. Nutlet black when mature, broadly obovoid to broadly ellipsoid, ca. 1/2 as long as subtending glume, 3-sided, densely puncticulate. Fl. and fr. Jun-Oct.
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