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Perennial with very short rhizome. Stems tall, tufted, obtusely trigonous, often triquetrous above, smooth, 50-150(-200) cm by 3-4(-7) mm. Leaves flat or the larger ones slightly plicate with 3 prominent nerves, coriaceous, scabrous on the margins, glaucous. 4-10(-15)mm wide; lower sheaths purplish. Inflorescence compound or decompound, up to 40 cm across. Involucral bracts 3-8, spreading, much overtopping the inflorescence, up to 60 cm long. Primary rays 6-10, unequal, smooth, the longest 15-30 cm; secondary ones 2-3 cm. Spikes digitately arranged, cylindric, rather loose, 3-6 cm by 1-3 cm; rachis glabrous, narrowly winged. Spikelets spicately arranged, finally at right angles to the rachis, linear, but slightly compressed, 8-24(-44)-flowered, 5-20 by 1-1½ mm; rachilla straight, persistent; internodes c. ½ mm; wings caducous, yellow, 1/5-¼ mm wide. Glumes membranous, appressed, elliptic-oblong, acute, apiculate, 1¾-2¼ by c. 1 mm, halfway imbricate; keel green or reddish brown, 3-5-nerved; sides yellowish to rufous, nerveless. Stamens 3; anthers linear, ½ mm long; connective shortly produced, smooth. Stigmas 3. Nut trigonous, ellipsoid to oblong-obovoid, apiculate, yellowish brown, c. 1 by ⅓-½ mm.
Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, coarse. Culms trigonous, 50–150 cm × 2–15 mm, glabrous (rarely sparsely scabridulous on angles proximal to bracts). Leaves inversely W-shaped, 40–100 cm × 5–15 mm. Inflorescences: spikes 1–4, cylindric, (2.5–)3.5–5 × 1.2–1.5 cm; rays 8–10, (1–)15–35 cm; 2d order rays 1–3 cm; bracts 8–12, ascending at 45–60°, (5–)20–80 cm × 3–15 mm; 2d order bracts 3–7 cm × 2–4 mm; rachilla persistent, wings 0.3 mm wide, at achene maturation adaxial edge of wing detaching from rachilla, base remaining firmly attached. Spikelets 35–65, slightly compressed, linear, ± quadrangular, 5–8 × 0.8–1.1 mm; floral scales deciduous, 12–16, appressed, marginally clear, laterally reddish along midrib, medially green, laterally 1–2-ribbed, medially strongly 5-ribbed, ovate, 1.6–1.8 × 1.1–1.3 mm, apex mucronulate. Flowers: anthers 0.4–0.5 mm, connective blunt, at most 0.1 mm; styles 0.8–1 mm; stigmas 0.4 mm. Achenes brown or whitish, sessile, ellipsoid, slightly wider at base, 0.9 × 0.4 mm, surfaces finely puncticulate.
