Leaves linear, flat or with revolute margins, very gradually narrowed into a flagelliform, aculeate-scabrous point, also aculeate-scabrous on the margins and the midnerve beneath, glaucescent, up to 65 cm by 5-8 mm, the base strongly conduplicate, pinkish or purplish. Scapes filiform, minutely scabrid, 3-20 cm by ¼-½ mm, the base clothed with a few, brown, bladeless or short-bladed sheaths, the longer ones also with a sheath about the middle. Inflorescence simple, often consisting of a single spikelet, not rarely head-like with up to 5 spikelets; branches when present up to 5 mm. Spikelets at first ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid, dark brown, 6-14 by 2 mm, finally subglobose, echinate, up to 8 mm thick. Glumes ovate, brown with scarious margins, 2-2¼ mm long. Flowers 1½-2¼ mm long; hypogynous scales 5, oblong-elliptic. Stamens 2. Style triquetrous; stigmas 3. Nuts stellately spreading, stipitate, distinctly rostrate, in cross-section hexagonal by 6 ribs, 3-5½ by 1¼ mm (beak included), the brown upper part of the body abruptly narrowed into the pale, obconical, narrowly winged lower part, rather grad-ually narrowed into the firm, triquetrous, straight or but slightly curved, smooth, pale, 1¼-3 mm long beak.
On Mt Bulusan in loose, humus covered ground among shrubberies at 1750 m, in the Sierra Madre in primary Dipterocarpaceous forest at 300-400 m.
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