Perennial with short woody rhizome. Stems tufted, erect, rigid, obtusely trigonous or subterete, sulcate, smooth (often slightly scaberulous in the inflorescence), leafy, 30-75 cm by 1-2 mm. Basal leaves long, rigid, abruptly acuminate, 3-ribbed on the under side, scaberulous on the margins, 1½-2 mm wide, with blackish purple sheaths; cauline leaves 1-3, much shorter, with narrow tubular purplish sheaths up to 3 cm long, and scarcely ciliate at the mouth. Inflorescence racemose or subpaniculate, narrow, very loose, up to 50 cm long, consisting of 2-5 very distant fascicles of branches. Bracts short, usually not exceeding the branches in their axils. Branches solitary or 2(-3) together, unequal, erect, compressed, scaberulous on the angles, each bearing l(-3) spikelets, up to 12½ cm. Spikelets oblong-lanceolate, acute, 3-5-flowered, chestnut brown, 20-25 by 3-5 mm. Glumes9-14,coriaceous,narrowly lanceolate, acute, densely ciliate on the margins especially towards the top, the fertile ones 15-18 mm long, the lower 4-8 empty, gradually shorter. Bristles 4-6, about ½ as long as the nut, antrorsely scabrous in the upper part, white. Stamens 3; anthers c. 8 mm long; appendage of the connective very short, purplish. Style ciliate in the upper half, 15-18 mm long; stigmas 3, about ½ as long as the style. Nut trigonous, ovoid, oblique (1 angle straight, 2 curved), attenuate at the base, 3-dentate at the apex, irregularly transversely rugulose, finally blackish, 3-3½ by c. 1½ mm; epidermal cells obscure, isodiametric to longitudinally oblong.
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Perennials. Rhizomes short. Culms tufted, erect, (30-)70-90 cm tall, obtusely 3-angled to subterete, sulcate, smooth. Leaves basal and cauline; sheath blackish purple; leaf blade linear, 30-75 cm × 1-2 mm, rigid, 3-veined on abaxial surface, margin scaberulose, apex acute. Involucral bracts leaflike; sheaths black purplish red to reddish black, 1.5-2.5 cm, terete; mouth pale, oblique, membranous. Inflorescences racemose, to 50 cm, very lax, with 2 or 3 very distant fascicles of branches; peduncle 10-15 cm, glabrous; branches solitary or 2(or 3) together, erect, ca. 12.5 cm, unequal, compressed, scaberulose on angles, each bearing 1(-3) spikelets. Spikelets chestnut-brown, oblong to narrowly ovoid, 3-5-flowered, apex acute to acuminate. Glumes distichous, narrowly lanceolate, basal 5 and apical 1 or 2 empty; fertile glumes to 1.5 cm; sterile glumes ca. 0.4 cm, leathery, densely ciliate especially toward apex, keel green. Perianth bristles 4-7, white, ca. 1/2 as long as nutlet, antrorsely scabrous on apical part, easily caducous. Stamens 3; anthers linear, caducous. Style slender, apical half ciliate; stigmas 3, papillate. Nutlet grayish brown, obovoid, 3-sided, reticulately wrinkled, glabrous, base attenuate, apex obscurely beaked. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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