Rhizome short, emitting stout stolons covered with pale scales. Stems tufted, stout, terete, striate, smooth, spongious inside, with more or less distinct transverse partitions (except at the top), 1-2 m by 5-8(-12) mm. Leaves basal, similar to the stems, terete, spongious, prominently transversely septate, tapering to the pungent top, 5-10 mm thick; sheaths shining brown, the lower ones bladeless. Panicle large, effuse, interrupted, 15-40 cm long, consisting of 4-6 fascicles of branches, the lower 1-2 fascicles remote, the upper ones approximate. Bracts similar to the leaves, septate, much shorter than the inflorescence, 4-15 cm long, the upper ones sub-spathaceous. Lower branches solitary or binate, the upper ones 5 or more together, slender, unequal, compressed, often somewhat drooping. Spikelets very numerous, solitary or 2-3 together, ovate-lanceolate, 3-5-flowered (usually only 1 flower nut-bearing), brown, 4-6 by 1½-2 mm. Glumes 5-7, ovate-lanceolate, asperous, acuminate or mucron-ulate, more or less scabrous on the keel, up to 4-5 mm long. Bristles absent. Stamens 3 (or in some flowers 2); anthers c. 2 mm long; connective distinctly produced. Nut ovoid, trigonous, sessile, with thickened, suberous angles, strongly rugose, c. 2 by 1-1⅓ mm, the depressed-pyramidal, c. ⅔ mm high, papillose, persistent style-base included.
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