Herb, dioecious, perennial, glabrous, plants forming large patches (e.g. 1–8 m across) of well separated culms. Rhizomes stout, long, c. 5–8 mm diam.; scales brown, scarious. Cataphylls 1.0–2.5 cm long. Culms erect, terete or slightly compressed, 0.5–1.4 m long, stout, 1.5–6 mm diam., spaced 1.5–4 cm apart on the rhizome, smooth or striate, grey-to blue-green, mostly unbranched; internodes numerous (8–10), lowest internode 2–10 cm long, upper internodes 5–14 cm. Sheaths persistent, loose, smooth, oblong to lanceolate, obtuse to truncate, weathering with age, young sheaths reddish, becoming purplish-brown to light-brown, 1.0–4.8 cm long; lamina erect, to 1.0 cm long. Inflorescences 2.5–16.0 cm long; branches numerous, erect or spreading, 2–5 cm long, with up to 40 flowers crowded in clusters on a branch; lowest branch often 5–6 cm below upper branches; flowers purple when young; spathes shorter than branches, 0.8–1.9 cm long; floral bract single or absent, 1.5–2.3 mm long, mucronate. Male flowers: outer tepals shorter, 2.0–2.3 mm long, narrow lanceolate, brown-hyaline, keeled, acute; mucro 2.0–5.0 mm long; inner tepals 2.5–2.8 mm long, broad lanceolate, flat, light brown-hyaline, acute; anthers 1.4–1.6 mm long. Female flowers: outer tepals broad lanceolate, keeled, purple-brown, hyaline, 2.3–3.0 mm long, acute; mucro filiform 0.5–0.8 mm long; inner tepals ovate, purple-hyaline, flattened, 1.6–2.0 mm long, acutely acuminate. Seeds ellipsoidal, brown, smooth, c. 0.9 mm long, not distinctly colliculate, the surface with a fine network of fimbriate patent plates.
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