Rhizomes thick, woody. Culms lateral, 25-54 cm tall, ca. 3 mm thick, with several cataphylls toward base. Leaves basal, distichous; leaf sheath brownish, ca. 12 cm, margin thickly membranous; leaf blade ca. 1.3 m × 2.5-3.5 cm or longer, subleathery, smooth, 3-veined, apical margin and abaxial midvein serrulate, apex caudate-acuminate. Involucral bracts brown, glumelike, ovate to ovate-deltate, 1.5-2.5 cm, shorter than inflorescence, leathery, apex acute. Inflorescences capitate, broadly ovoid, 1.8-2.5(-5) × 1.5-1.8 cm, with 4 spikes fascicled at apex of culm, with many glumelike bracts and pseudospikelets. Glumelike bracts straw-colored, spirally and imbricately arranged, narrowly oblong, ca. 1 cm, papery, apex obtuse. Pseudospikelets with 6 glumes, 3 male flowers, and 1 female flower; basal 2 glumes opposite, cymbiform, membranous, keeled, spinulose on apical part of keel, each subtending 1 male flower; remaining 4 bracts narrowly oblong, outermost one subtending a male flower. Filaments to 1.6 cm; anthers linear, 7-8 mm. Style ca. 6.5 mm; stigmas 3. Nutlet dark brown, obovoid, 4-4.5 mm, obtusely 3-sided, outer surface succulent, apex conically rostrate. Fl. and fr. Oct.
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