Herb, dioecious, rhizomatous, perennial; forming diffuse patches to 30–50 cm across; rhizome 2–5 mm diam.; cluster and sand-binding roots present. Cataphylls extending up the culm for up to c. 4 cm, rarely with lamina to c. 7 cm long. Culms spaced 0.5–1 cm apart along the rhizome, erect, terete to semi-terete, glabrous to sparsely or densely villous, tuberculate, to 25 cm long, 0.5–1.0 mm diam.; internodes 2–8, basal internode much longer than upper ones, 2.5–18 cm long; branchlets numerous, straight to reflexed, branchlets 14–19 per node, to c. 3 cm long, terete to triquetrous. Sheaths lax, often reflexed, 2–13 mm long, obtuse; lamina erect or reflexed, 1–14 mm long. Male spikelets single and terminal on branchlets, narrow-ovoid, 3.0–5.5 mm long; glumes 2–4, ovate-lanceolate, 2.0–4.5 mm long, membranous, pale brown, obtuse, apical margin villous; mucro to 1.4 mm long. Female spikelets single and terminal on branchlets or axillary on culm, shortly pedunculate; peduncles to 3 mm long; narrow-ovoid, 3.0–7.0 mm long; subtending bract c. ½ length of spikelet and with mucro 0.6–1.7 mm long; glumes mostly 3, ovate to lanceolate, acute, 1.7–5.2 mm long, light brown; margins with pilose hairs; towards the apex almost terete, thick and green, with a short slender apical mucro. Male flowers: tepals 6, acute, equal in length, linear-lanceolate, 3.0–4.8 mm long; outer tepals keeled; anthers exserted, 1.4–2.2 mm long. Female flowers lacking tepals, ovary unilocular, style 1, mostly stigmatic. Nut ovoid, c. 1.5–2 mm long, dark brown with an indistinct pale lateral line and a blunt conical stylar beak. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma continuous, of a single layer of peg cells.
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