Herb, monoecious, perennial, glabrous, caespitose, forming small dense tussocks. Cataphylls 1–2 cm long. Culms terete, spreading and trailing, smooth, often flexuose toward apex, 15–50 cm long, 0.6–1.3 mm diam., branching repeatedly, often with clusters of short branches at many nodes; internodes numerous; lowest internode 3–5 cm long; upper internodes 3–7.5 cm. Sheaths persistent, 7–16 mm long, thin, scarious, pale-straw-coloured, truncate; lamina reflexed, 2–5.5 (–20) mm long. Inflorescence c. 10–25 cm long; branches 2–7 cm long with flowers well-spaced along the stem and branches; spathes shorter than branches, 1.8–3.4 mm long, mucronate; floral bracts 2, 1.0–1.8 mm long. Male flowers: tepals lanceolate, rigid, brown; outer tepals slightly longer, 2.4–3.0 mm long; anthers 1.2–1.8 mm long. Female flowers: tepals slightly shorter than males. Seeds ellipsoidal, c. 1 mm long, white, colliculate, the raised areas forming irregular lines transverse to the seed axis.