Herb, dioecious, perennial, caespitose, forming large dense tussocks to 50 cm diam., the base pubescent. Cataphylls similar to sheaths but often with longer laminae. Culms erect, simple, 20–120 cm long, 1–5 mm wide, much flattened, finely striate, green, glabrous. Sheaths 2–5, closely appressed, 1–2.5 cm long, herbaceous becoming scarious, striate, pale, glabrous, with thin membranous auricles; laminae of lower nodes linear, the apex obtuse or obtusely angled; laminae of upper nodes very short and triangular. Inflorescence narrow, terminal, erect, 7–18 cm long, with c. 5–18 spikelets per inflorescence, the spikelets on filiform pedicels to 3 cm long; spathes similar to culm sheaths but shorter. Male spikelets ovoid to globose, 5–8.5 mm long, 2–5 mm wide, with up to 3 sterile lower glumes and 30–50 fertile upper glumes; glumes lanceolate, 2.2–3.3 mm long, light-brown, often ciliate, mucronate; mucro 1–2 mm long. Female spikelets oblong-ovoid, 6–10 mm long, 1.8–2.5 mm wide, up to 3 sterile lower glumes and 5–13 fertile upper glumes; glumes ovate, similar to males, 3.6–4.8 mm long; mucro 1–2 mm long. Male flowers: tepals 4, 2.0–2.7 mm long, light brown, smooth, glossy, the 2 outer tepals lanceolate, mucronate, keeled, sparsely pubescent, the 2 inner tepals narrow-elliptic, acute, flat or the margins inrolled, glabrous; stamens 2; filaments 1.5–2.8 mm long; anthers exserted, 0.7–1.3 mm long; pistillode minute. Female flowers: tepals 4, similar to males but the outer tepals oblong, acute, 2.4–3.0 mm long, inner tepals 2.8–3.3 mm long; staminodes 2; styles 2, free, mostly stigmatic. Capsule loculicidal, compressed, circular in outline, 1.2–1.6 mm diam., smooth, glossy-brown. Seed ellipsoid, 1–1.5 mm long, white, smooth. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma of 1 or 2 layers of short peg-cells, interrupted opposite some outer vascular bundles by pillar cells (1 or 2 together as seen in transverse section); girders and protective cells absent; central cavity present.
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