Herb, monoecious, perennial, with ♂ and ♀flowers on the same inflorescence branches, mostly with ♀ flowers toward the base of the branch and ♂ flowers distally; glabrous, caespitose, forming small or large dense tussocks to 20 cm across. Cataphylls ovate to oblong, 1–3 cm long, pale brown or green, truncate with an erect lamina 1–8 mm long. Culms erect, terete, 30–50 cm long, 1–2.5 mm diam., smooth; internodes 2–4, 6.5–19.5 cm long; lateral branches few; lowest internode 2–6 cm long; upper internodes 5–20 cm long. Sheaths mostly persistent, 1.4–4 cm long, light-brown, appressed or slightly lax; lamina erect to reflexed, 3–9.5 mm long. Inflorescence compact or with a lowest branch separated by 3– from upper branches; flowers clustered along inflorescence branches 3–15 mm long; spathes narrow oblong, 2–3 cm long, equal to or longer than branches; the apex emarginate with broad membranous margins weathering with age and a slender mucro; floral bracts 2, narrow lanceolate, 1.3–2.5 mm long, mucronate. Male flowers: inner and outer tepals equal, 2.5–3.5 mm long, lanceolate, rigid, brown; anthers c. 1.2 mm long. Female flowers: tepals similar length to males; staminodia filiform, 1–1.5 mm long; styles very shortly connate at the base. Seeds white, ellipsoidal, c. 1.1 mm long, colliculate with low-relief lobed raised areas and the surface overlain by a network of low patent plates.
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