Perennial with short woody rhizome. Stems tufted, erect, rather stout, rigid, obtusangular, often more or less flattened, striate-sulcate, smooth, distantly leafy up to the top, 60-90(-150)cm by (1-)2-5 mm. Basal leaves long, rigid, scaberulous on the margins, up to 7 mm wide in the basal part, narrowed into a long subulate point, with dark purplish to blackish sheaths; cauline leaves 2-4, shorter, with tubular, somewhat inflated, brownish sheaths not ciliate at the mouth. Inflorescence paniculate, decompound, erect, rigid, narrow, rather loose, 20-40 cm long, consisting of up to 10 distant fascicles of branches. Bracts similar to the leaves, but gradually shorter. Branches 2-4 together, unequal, erect, compressed, scaberulous on the angles. Spikelets numerous, peduncled, oblong-lanceolate, more or less falcate, acute, 3-7(-9)-flowered, light brown, 7-12 by c. 2½ mm. Glumes 8-10, narrowly ovate to oblong-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, with scabrous keel and hyaline margins, 5-6½ mm long, the lower 2-3 empty, shorter. Bristles 1-3, about as long as the nut, antrorsely scabrous, ferrugineous. Stamens 3; anthers c. 3 mm; appendage of the connective rather conspicuous (⅓-½ mm), white. Style 3-4 mm; stigmas 3, much shorter than the style. Nut trigonous, broadly ellipsoid or broadly ovoid, slightly asymmetric, 3-ribbed, scrobiculate, densely setulose at the top, rufous, 1 1/6-1⅓ by 5/6-1 mm; epidermal cells large, pitted, almost isodiametric to longitudinally oblong.
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Perennials. Rhizomes short. Culms tufted, 60-100 cm tall, 2-5 mm thick, subterete, smooth. Leaves basal and cauline. Basal leaves with sheath dark purple to dark reddish purple, 3-4 cm; leaf blade linear, 1-5 mm wide, margin scabrous. Cauline leaves 1-3, remote, rather short; sheath reddish brown, mouth oblique. Involucral bracts leaflike; sheaths brown to reddish brown; basalmost bract with a blade subequaling inflorescence. Inflorescence a narrow lax panicle; branches 2-4-nate, occasionally single. Spikelets brown, narrowly ovoid, 7-14 × ca. 2.5 mm, erect, slightly flattened, shortly pedunculate, 3-8-flowered. Glumes brown with a pale margin, distichous, ovate-lanceolate to ovate, 5-7 mm, papery, glabrous except for scabrous keel, keel yellowish green, apex acute; basal 2 or 3 glumes sterile and smaller. Perianth bristles (0 or)1-3, ferruginous, antrorsely scabrous. Stamens 3; filaments slender; anthers linear, ca. 3 mm, caducous; connective apex appendage white, to 0.5 mm. Style 3-4 mm; stigmas 3, much shorter than style. Nutlet rusty brown, obovoid, 1-1.5 mm, 3-sided, reticulate, apex hirsute with white appressed hairs. Fl. and fr. May-Jul.
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