Herb, dioecious or monoecious, glabrous, perennial, forming small or large dense tussocks. Rhizomes to 10 cm long, 3–8 mm diam.; scales scarious, glossy brown. Cataphylls persistent, erect, appressed or loose, 1–10 (–15) cm long. Culms numerous, crowded on the rhizome, unbranched, erect, terete or slightly flattened, 30–80 cm long, slender, 0.5–1.0 mm diam. Sheaths lacking, or very rarely a single one on the culm; when present, loose, reflexed or appressed, 1–4 cm long; lamina narrow, erect or reflexed, 1.0–3.2 mm long. Inflorescence many-flowered, 1–6 cm long; spathes exceeding branches, 1–4 cm long; flowers shortly pedicellate; floral bracts 2. Male flowers: tepals lanceolate to narrow ovate, acuminate, yellow-brown; outer tepals longer, 2.8–3.8 mm long; anthers 1.2–2 mm long. Female flowers: tepals slightly longer than males. Seeds ellipsoidal, colliculate, c. 1 mm long; colliculae elongated transversely to the seed axis.
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