Perennials. Rhizomes short. Culms tufted, 15-25 cm tall, slender, compressed, base swollen into an oblong bulb shape and clothed with brown fibers from old leaf sheaths. Leaves much longer than culm; sheath brownish and usually purple maculate; leaf blade 3-4 mm wide. Involucral bracts 4 or 5, leaflike, much longer than inflorescence, slightly broad. Inflorescences capitate; rays very short, with 4 or 5 spikes. Spikes subovoid to oblong-ovoid, with many spikelets. Spikelets densely arranged, ovoid-ellipsoid, 3-4 × 1-1.5 mm, 2-or 3-flowered. Glumes brownish to yellowish green, purple puncticulate on apical part, and green on abaxial middle, ovate, 2.5-3 mm, 9-13-veined, apex mucronate. Stamens 3; anthers linear-oblong, ca. 0.5 mm; connective not prominent beyond anthers. Nutlet oblong, 1/3-1/2 as long as subtending glume, ca. 1 mm wide, 3-sided, densely puncticulate. Fl. and fr. Jul-Oct.
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