Perennial graminoid herb 13–50 cm high; roots fine, to 10 cm long, sand-binding. Culms erect, rigid, arising from a compact, bulb-like underground base or cluster of bases, nodeless, terete or compressed, 0.4–1.6 mm diam., ribbed, glabrous, much longer than leaves. Leaves basal, much shorter than the culms, flexuose; sheath 2–4 cm long, reddish brown with broad hyaline margins, striate, dull, base becoming fibrous with age, distally scabrous to ciliolate, becoming worn and glabrescent with age, margins glabrous; lamina 5–20 cm long, 0.3–0.9 mm wide, flat to canaliculate, tapering to a fine point, usually markedly curved, margins very finely ciliolate; ligule absent. Basal involucral bracts 3–6 (–8), leaf-like, margins very finely ciliolate, 2.5–7 cm long, surrounding and exceeding inflorescence, the base broadly ovate, centre green to black, margins white to translucent. Inflorescence an erect, terminal, subglobular head, 7–15 mm across, 5–12 mm long, dark brown or black, with numerous sessile spikelets. Spikelets narrow-ovate, acute, 4.7–6.9 mm long, dark brown to black, 1-or 2-flowered. Glumes 5–8, lowest 4–7 empty, narrowly ovate, acute or attenuate, dark brown to black (or green around keel), dull, 4.2–5.9 mm long, puberulent or glabrous, outer glumes weakly keeled, scaberulous, ciliate or denticulate on the margins and keel. Perianth segments 6, 1.5–2 mm long, flat, white, margins ciliate. Style 3-branched, base 2.5–3.1 mm long, branches 1.3–2.5 mm long. Stamens 3; filaments 2.6–4.5 mm long, anthers 2.0–2.5 mm long with an apical appendage 0.5–0.7 mm long. Nutlets 1.4–1.7 mm long, 1.0–1.1 mm diam., dark brown, obovoid, attenuate at base, 3-ribbed (trigonous), faces irregularly reticulate, apex shortly hairy. Anatomy = C3.
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