Plants 0.3-0.7 m tall, clumped but sometimes dying in the middle, thus forming large rings, 0.3-1.5 m in diam. Rhizome spreading, unbranched or sparsely branched, with evenly spaced culms. Fertile culms unbranched, 0.3-0.7 m tall, smooth, olivaceous, 1-2 mm diam. at base and 0.8-1.4 mm diam. at apex. Sheaths caducous, 20-30 mm long, acute, coriaceous, dark brown; mucro absent or penicellate, straight and erect, 0-1 mm long. Male inflorescence with up to 100 spikelets in an interrupted cylindrical panicle, 30-100 x 7-10 mm; spathes caducous, overtopping spikelets, cartilaginous, dark brown and shiny; spikelets erect on stiff branches, oblong or orbicular, 1.5-2.5 mm long, with 3-7 flowers; bracts shorter than flowers, 0.5 mm long, orbicular, rounded, membranous. Male flower 1.25-1.5 mm long; tepals oblong, papery, inner tepals longer than outer tepals; anthers 0.75 mm long, included in flowers. Female inflorescence similar to male inflorescence but with fewer spikelets and more persistent spathes; spikelets more compact than male spikelets; bracts similar to male bracts. Female flower 0.75-1.5 mm long, tepals papery or cartilaginous, glabrous and smooth, at least as tall as nut, wrapped around it and obscuring the surface, midrib raised, apices obtuse, inner and outer whorls equally long; outer tepals keeled or winged (with flowers in transverse section appearing triangular to winged), wings as wide as body; inner tepals oblong or elliptical, 0.7-1.5 mm long; staminodes absent or minute; styles 3, feathery, short, compact, white, bases free. Ovary unilocular, indehiscent. Nut wall soft; perianth persistent, winged; diaspores 1-1.25 x 0.6-0.8 mm, shape elliptical in side view and triangular in cross section, brown or black.
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