Herb, dioecious, caespitose, perennial, mostly forming small tufts, less often with very numerous culms spreading to c. 40 cm across; sand-binding and cluster roots present. Rhizomes to c. 2 cm long, occasionally longer. Culms erect, terete to semi-terete, shortly villous or occasionally sparsely villous, culms appearing grey or white, striate or slightly tuberculate, to 40 cm long, 0.5–1.0 mm diam.; internodes numerous; branchlets few at each node, sinuose to straight, slender, to c. 10 cm long. Sheaths closely appressed, 5–9.5 mm long, red-brown, glabrous, apex truncate to obtuse; lamina erect or reflexed, 0.5–2.5 mm long. Inflorescences: spikelets sessile, terminal or axillary on branchlets; males with 1–5 spikelets on each culm; females with 1 or 2 spikelets. Male spikelets: ovoid-ellipsoid, 3.0–4.0 mm long; subtending bract equal to spikelet; glumes 3–5, ovate-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, 2.0–3.0 mm long, light brown, margins usually villous, abaxial surface often sparsely villous; mucro to 0.4 mm long. Female spikelets: ellipsoid, 4.5–6.0 mm long; subtending bract c. ½ length of spikelet; glumes 3, ovate, acute, 2.5–4.5 mm long, light-to dark-brown, margins villous, abaxial surface often partially villous, with c. 3 reduced upper glumes, lanceolate, 3.3–4.3 mm long; mucro to 0.6 mm long; 1-flowered. Male flowers: tepals 2–5, acute, filiform; outer tepals longer, 1.8–2.4 mm long; inner tepals often absent; anthers 1.0–1.3 mm long. Female flowers: tepals 6, oblong; ovary unilocular; style 1, mostly stigmatic. Nut ellipsoid, c. 1.5 mm long, dark brown with a pale lateral line, with a short stipe c. 0.5 mm long and the persistent style-base forming a beak. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma continuous, of 1 or 2 rows of peg cells.
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