Rhizomes short. Basal sheaths prominent and persistent, orange-brown, not retaining dried leaf blades, sometimes decaying to fibers. Culms densely tufted, obtusely trigonous, 15-50 cm, slender, 0.6-1 mm in diam. Leaves basal, shorter than or subequaling culms; blade filiform, weak, margin involute, 0.5-1.5 mm wide. Inflorescence a dense spikelike panicle (occasionally reduced to a spike), reddish brown or pale brown, cylindric, 1-3 × 0.3-0.7 cm, branches short, appressed; lowest involucral bract glumelike, apex aristate. Lower inflorescence branches with terminal spikelets male, lower spikelets bisexual. Bisexual spikelets 2-7-flowered, basal one female, other 1-6 male. Glumes reddish brown or brown, with yellowish brown midvein, ovate or ovate-oblong, (3-)4-4.5(-6.2) (excluding arista) × 1.5-2.8 mm, membranous, margin broadly hyaline, apex acute or aristate. Prophylls brown or yellowish brown, ovate-oblong or oblong-elliptic, 3-4 × 1-1.8 mm, membranous, 1-or 2-keeled, keels slightly scabrid, margins free to base, apex rounded or slightly 2-toothed. Nutlets dark brown, obovoid or oblong-obovoid, trigonous or biconvex, 2.1-3.5 (excluding beak) × 1-1.2 mm, very shortly stipitate, shortly beaked, beak slightly conic. Stigmas usually 3, occasionally both 3 and 2 on same inflorescence. Fl. and fr. May-Oct. 2n = ca. 60.
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