Herb, dioecious, rhizomatous, perennial, forming dense tussocks or diffuse patches to 40 cm (–1 m) across, with small groups of culms connected by rhizomes; cluster and sand-binding roots present. Rhizomes elongated and slender (0.7–1.2 mm diam.) but often with short, thick and woody sections 5–7 mm diam. at culm-bearing nodes. Scales spathulate, truncate, 5–8 mm long, pale brown, mostly weathering away. Culms erect, terete, tuberculate, usually densely pubescent with short villous hairs, mostly appearing grey or whitish, to 30 cm long, rarely longer, 0.5–1.5 mm diam.; internodes numerous; branchlets few, flexuose, slender, to 13 cm long. Sheaths open, elliptic, straw-coloured to pale brown, 3–14 mm long, apex truncate; lamina erect or reflexed, 0.5–10 mm long. Inflorescences: male spikelets single or 2 or 3 together, axillary on primary branchlets; female spikelets single, sessile, mostly terminal on secondary branchlets. Male spikelets: ovoid, 2.5–7.0 mm long; subtending bract shorter than spikelet; mucro 0.6–2.1 mm long; glumes 10–21, circular to elliptic, obtuse, 1.4–3 mm long; mucro to 1.2 mm long, glabrous. Female spikelets: narrow-ovoid, 3.5–5.0 mm long; subtending bract shorter than spikelet; mucro 0.8–1.4 mm long; glumes 3 or 4, acute, 2.5–4.6 mm long, abaxial surface occasionally partially villous, lower glumes ovate, upper glumes lanceolate; mucro to 1.2 mm long. Male flowers: tepals 5, scarious, hyaline, oblanceolate, obtuse, ± equal in length, 1.3–3.1 mm long; anthers 0.9–1.5 mm long. Female flowers lacking tepals; ovary unilocular, style 1, mostly stigmatic. Nut ellipsoid, c. 2.0 mm long, finely rugose, dark brown with pale lateral lines and a blunt conical beak; stipe c. 1 mm long. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma continuous.
Calcareous coastal sands and inland clayey sands over laterite, granite, sandstone and limestone. In coastal heath and inland woodland, sometimes subsaline sites and areas receiving seepage, seasonally moist but often in regions of low rainfall.
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