Rhizomes 5–8 mm diam.; scales longer than internodes, disintegrating to fibers. Culms cylindric, 1.5–2.5 m × 4–8 mm. Leaves basal; sheaths often separating from culm, resembling blade, sometimes reddish proximally, front membranous-translucent, splitting, and delicately pinnate-fibrillose, orifice adaxially deeply V-shaped; ligules entire, 1 mm; blades 1–2, thinly C-shaped to thin and dorsiventrally flat in cross section, much shorter to longer than sheath, distal blade to 220 × 5 mm. Inflorescences 2× branched, open, plano-to concavo-convex, to 9 cm; proximal bract usually erect, thickly C-shaped to subterete in cross section, 1–15 cm, margins often scabridulous. Spikelets 5–30, solitary or rarely 2 together, 5–15 × 3–4 mm; scales light orange-brown to nearly colorless, usually obscurely lineolate-spotted, midribs often greenish, ovate-oblong, 3–4 × 1.5 mm, sparsely reddish-or straw-colored-scabrous distally on awn, sometimes midrib, and rarely adjacent parts of sides, margins ciliate, hairs contorted, flanks veinless, apex obtuse, notch 0.5 mm deep, awn straight to slightly contorted, 0.3–1 mm. Flowers: perianth members 4(–5), brown, bristlelike, equaling achene body or adaxial and abaxial much shorter, sparsely retrorsely spinulose; anthers 2 mm; styles 3-fid. Achenes dark gray-brown, compressed-trigonous, obovoid, 2.2–3.2 × 1.4–1.9 mm; beak 0.3–1 mm. 2n = 38.
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