Perennials. Rhizomes and stolons ± long, soft, scaly. Culms scattered, 15-65 cm tall, 3-angled, smooth, basally few leaved. Leaves usually shorter than culm but sometimes apical leaves longer than culm; sheath reddish brown; leaf blade 0.5-1.5 cm wide, flat. Involucral bracts (2 or)3-5, leaflike, longer than inflorescence, 0.6-1.6 cm wide, margin scabrous. Inflorescence a compound anthela; rays 4-8, mostly to 3.5 cm, some with raylets. Spikelets 3-6(-10), digitately arranged at apex of rays or raylets, ovoid to narrowly ovoid, 4-6 × 1.5-2 mm, compressed, 6-14-flowered; rachilla wingless. Glumes dark purple on both surfaces but middle yellowish green, densely imbricate, orbicular-ovate to suborbicular, ca. 1.5 mm, membranous, 3-veined, abaxially slightly keeled, margin apically white hyaline, apex rounded and sometimes mucronulate. Stamens 2; anthers oblong, ca. 0.3 mm; connective not prolonged. Style 0.2-0.3 mm; stigmas 3, 0.3-0.5 mm. Nutlet yellowish, oblong to ellipsoid, ca. 2/3 as long as subtending glume, 3-sided, apex mucronate. Fl. and fr. Jun-Nov.
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