Perennial. Stolons long-creeping, hardening into a woody rhizome forming stout, irregular tubers. Stems slender, distant, rigid, triquetrous, smooth, distinctly incrassate at the base, 15-50 cm by 1-2(-3) mm. Leaves gradually acuminate, scabrid in the upper part, glaucous, in dry localities rigid and narrow (1½ mm), in wet places more flaccid and up to 4 mm wide. Inflorescence simple or subcompound, dense to rather loose, often small, rarely up to 6 by 5 cm. Involucral bracts 2-3, suberect, the lower 1 or 2 (much) overtopping the inflorescence, sometimes up to 30 cm. Primary rays 2-5, obliquely erect, very unequal, smooth, 1-6 cm. Spikes ovoid or broadly ovoid, 1½-2½ cm long and wide; rachis very short, glabrous. Spikelets spicately arranged, 3 10 to the spike, patent, linear-lanceolate, often somewhat curved, turgid, almost terete, 8-20-flowered, 5-15 by 2-2½ mm; rachilla slightly flexuous, broadly winged, persistent; internodes ½-¾ mm; wings hyaline, long-persistent. Glumes membranous, obliquely erect, ovate or broadly ovate, obtuse, not keeled, indistinctly 5-7-nerved, 2½-3 by 2-2½ mm, ⅔ imbricate; midnerve green, sides ferrugineous to rubiginous, margins (often glistening) white or yellowish hyaline in the upper part. Stamens 3; anthers linear, up to 2 mm, with short, smooth, reddish appendage of the connective. Stigmas 3. Nut strongly dorsoventrally compressed, broadly ovate to ovate, convex with a raised angle on the dorsal side, often somewhat concave on the ventral side, obtuse, shining, dark brown to blackish, 1-1½ by c. 1 mm.
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Perennials. Rhizomes long, ± thick, ± hardened, base of shoot with ellipsoid to ovoid tubers. Culms solitary, 8-22 cm tall, 3-angled, smooth, basal sheaths usually disintegrating into fibers. Leaves usually shorter than culm to rarely longer; leaf blade medium green, 2-4 mm wide, usually folded, rarely flat. Involucral bracts 2 or 3, ± erect, leaflike, basal 2 longer than inflorescence. Inflorescence a simple anthela; rays 3 or 4, 0.5-3 cm, each with 3-8 congested spikelets. Spikelets narrowly oblong-ovoid to narrowly ovoid, 6-12 × 2-3 mm, slightly thickened, 10-18-flowered; rachilla narrowly winged. Glumes yellow to brownish yellow on both surfaces variegated with brownish blood-red but middle green, densely imbricate, broadly ovate, ca. 3 mm, papery, 5-7-veined, keel obtuse, margin broadly white hyaline, apex acute to subobtuse. Stamens 3; anthers linear, ca. 1.5 mm; connective apex 0.1-0.2 mm. Style of medium length; stigmas 3. Nutlet dark brown when mature, ellipsoid to subobovoid, ca. 2/3 as long as subtending glume, 3-sided. Fl. and fr. Jul.
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