Rhizome woody, erect or ascending, 1-1½ cm thick. Leaves very densely crowded, strikingly 3-ranked (the rows very prominent and fan-like at the base, the base of the foliage in cross-section therefore Y-shaped), coriaceous, linear, with the midnerve prominent beneath, slightly narrowed towards the conduplicate base, very gradually narrowed into a long, flagelliform, triquetrous, aculeate-scabrous acumen, densely serrate-scabrous throughout the margins and on the midnerve beneath in the upper part. also aculeate-scabrous on the upper surface in the upper part, glaucous, up to 1½ m by 5-20 mm; margins of the sheaths dark brown or purplish. Scapes lateral, from the caudex below the leaves, very variable in length, subtrigonous or compressed, striate, smooth, 1-15 cm by 1-2½ mm, the base (when very short wholly) covered by some ovate to lanceolate, pale brown sheaths up to 4 cm long. Inflorescence consisting of a single spikelet, rarely of 2-3 fasciculately arranged spikelets. Spikelet ellipsoid or lanceolate in outline, trigonous when young, acute, 2-3 by 1-1½ cm. Lower (sterile) glumes coriaceous, with scarious margins, lanceolate, acutish, many-nerved, fertile ones thinner, oblong, less nerved, 11-14 mm long. Flowers about as long as the glumes; outermost scales ciliate on the keel in the upper half. Anthers 6-6½ mm. Style 3-cleft. Nut obovoid-pyriform, subtrigonous, shortly beaked, shortly stipitate (stipe ½-⅔ mm), brown or greyish brown, 4-5 by 2½ mm.
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