Herbs, perennial, cespitose, shortly rhizomatous, coarse, viscous. Culms round to roundly trigonous, 15–80 cm × 2–4 mm, glabrous. Leaves: adaxial face concave, becoming trigonous apically, 15–75 cm × 1–4 mm, margins involute. Inflorescences: spikes ovoid, 10–20 mm wide; rays 3–8(–10), 0.5–12 cm; 2d order rays 0–3, 1–3 cm; bracts 3–7, horizontal to vertical, 2.5–5.5 cm × 1–4 mm, margins involute; 2d order bracts 0–3, 1–3 cm; rachilla persistent, wingless. Spikelets 3–20(–30), beige to greenish or reddish brown, strongly compressed, oblong-ellipsoid to oblong-lanceoloid, 3–15 × 2.5–3.5 mm; floral scales deciduous, 6–22, laterally pale greenish white to stramineous or reddish brown, medially pale green to yellowish green, laterally 2-ribbed, medially 3–5-ribbed, broadly ovate, (2–)2.8–3.6 × 2.4–2.6 mm, apex with slightly excurved mucro 0.2–0.3 mm, apically scabrid. Flowers: anthers 0.6–1.4 mm; styles 1.2–1.5 mm; stigmas 1–1.5(–3) mm. Achenes dark reddish brown to black, stipitate, obovoid, faces concave, flat or subtly convex, (1.4–)1.8–2 × 0.9–1 mm, base cuneate, stipe (sometimes absent) spongy, 0.1–0.2 × 0.2–0.4 mm, apex truncate, apiculate, surfaces coarsely papillose.
Ditches, damp pastures, pond shores, riverbanks, coastal dunes; at elevations up to 500 metres.
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