Rhizomes short or stolonlike. Culms central, ca. 1 m tall, 2-10 mm thick, straight, 3-angled, glabrous. Leaves basal and cauline, glabrous, basal leaves stipitate, cauline leaves sheathing; leaf sheath greenish to reddish brown, 7-24 cm; leaf blade to 2 m × 2.5-3 cm or longer, 3-angled, inverse W-shaped in cross section, 3-veined, margins scabrous or serrulate, apex flagelliform-acuminate. Involucral bracts 4 or 5, leaflike; basalmost bract to 70 × 1-2 cm or longer, much longer than inflorescence, not sheathing. Inflorescences corymbose paniculate, ca. 5 × 8 cm or longer; racemes several at apex of branches, with many spikes. Spikes 1 or 3-5 fascicled, ellipsoid, 5-6 mm, sessile, with many glumelike bracts subtending pseudospikelets. Glumelike bracts densely spirally and imbricately arranged, elliptic to broadly elliptic, ca. 2.5 mm, slightly shiny, glabrous, veins obsolete, apex rounded; basal 2 bracts empty, remainder each with a pseudospikelet. Pseudospikelets with 6 glumes, 3 male flowers, and 1 female flower; basal 2 glumes opposite, cymbiform, membranous to hyaline, keeled, ciliate on keel, each subtending 1 male flower; remaining 4 glumes linear-oblong, hyaline, outermost one subtending a male flower. Filaments to 3.7 mm; anthers linear to linear-oblong. Style ca. 1 mm; stigmas 3. Nutlet mid-to dark grayish brown, ovoid, 3-4 × 2.1-2.2 mm, outer surface hard, shiny, and with 2-4 longitudinal furrows. Fl. Mar-Apr.
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