Annual. Stems densely tufted, compressed, obtus-angular, glabrous and smooth, 10-20 cm by ½-1 mm, the base clothed with 1-2 tubular, bladeless, up to 3 cm long sheaths. Basal leaves half as long as the stems, flat, rather firm, acute, glabrous, ¾-1½ mm wide, the margins scabrid in the upper part; ligule absent. Inflorescence simple, rarely subcompound, with 2-10 spikelets, 1-3 cm across, Involucral bracts 1-2, membranous, ovate, with retuse, cuspidate apex, 2-5 mm long. Primary rays 1-4, finally patent to arcuately reflexed, compressed, smooth, up to 15 mm; secondary rays when present very short, up to 5 m. Spikelets solitary, ovoid or oblong-ovoid, terete, obtuse, several-flowered, dull fuscous, 5-10 by 2-3 mm. Glumes spiral, thinly membranous, ovate, mucronulate, scarcely keeled, densely glandular-puncticulate in the upper half, with strong green midnerve, nerveless sides, and margins long-ciliate in the upper ½-¾, rounded, retuse or notched at the apex, 2-3 by 1½-2 mm. Stamens (2-)3; anthers linear, 3/5-1½ mm; connective distinctly produced, bristly at the top. Style triquetrous, slightly dilated at the base, hispidulous at the base, otherwise glabrous or sparsely ciliate, 1-2 mm long; stigmas 3, somewhat shorter than to as long as the style. Nut obtusely trigonous with convex sides, obovoid, subsessile, not or hardly umbonulate, verruculose or smooth, black, ½-⅔ by 2/5-½ mm; epidermal cells longitudinally elliptic or oblong.
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