Perennial with short woody rhizome. Stems tufted, rather stout, often subscandent or pendent, terete, striate-sulcate with 1-3 deeper grooves throughout their length, smooth, leafy only at the base, up to 3½ m by (2-)3-4 mm. Leaves 1-2, much reduced, their sheaths shining blackish-purple, woolly-ciliate at the mouth (at length more or less glabrescent); blades very short, rigid, subulate, ½-1 cm long. Inflorescence paniculate, narrow, loose, (10-)20-30 cm long, consisting of 5-7 fascicles of branches. Bracts very short, with dark brown narrow sheaths up to 1½ cm long, and ½-1 cm long blades. Branches 3-7 together, unequal, erect, compressed, scaberulous on the angles. Spikelets numerous, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute, more or less falcate, 2-3-flowered, fuscous, 5-8 by c. 1½ mm. Glumes 9-12, lanceolate, acute, woolly-ciliate on the margins (at length glabrescent), the fertile ones c. 6 mm long, densely villous on the back, the lower 6 empty, gradually shorter; also 1-3 uppermost glumes sterile. Bristles absent. Stamens 3; anthers c. 3 mm long; appendage of the connective distinct, purplish. Style c. 4 mm; stigmas 3, about as long as the style. Nut obtusely trigonous, obovoid, truncate and slightly 3-dentate at the apex, smooth, glassy, shining milky white, 1-1½ by ⅔-4/5 mm.
In grassy fields, in primary forests, on cliffs and open rock slides, 30-2150 m.
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