A robust tussocky perennial with a thick branched rhizome and long stolons. Culms 1-35 cm long and 2-5 mm thick, triangular to almost rounded. Leaves many, 10-40 cm long and 3-8 mm wide, flat or folded, rather stiff, scabrid on margin; sheaths green to light reddish brown. Inflorescence a large globose head or sometimes a more open anthela surrounded by 4-8 long leafy bracts. Major involucral bract 10-25 cm long and 4-6 mm wide, strongly scabrid on margin, spreading or reflexed. Anthela 4-8 cm in diameter, consisting of numerous almost sessile digitate spikelet-clusters, or sometimes the spikelet-clusters are set on 0.5-2.5 cm long peduncles; each spikelet-cluster with 6-15 spikelets. Spikelets14-20 mm long and 3-5 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, pale brown to almost whitish, 10-20 flowered, only slightly compressed. Glumes 6-8 mm long, broadly ovate, concave, light reddish brown with paler margin and numerous (20-25) narrow nerves; midrib thickened above and slightly excurrent or ending in apex. Stamens 3. Style with 3 long branches. Nutlet 2.1-2.3 mm long and 1.0-1.2 mm wide, obovate, dark brown, minutely papillose.
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