Perennial with short rhizome. Stems densely tufted, erect, slender but rigid, subterete, striatesulcate, smooth, few-leaved at the base, 20-50 cm by c. 1 mm. Leaves about as long as the stems, rigid, very narrow, deeply channelled, with scaberulous margins, 1-2 mm wide; sheaths shining reddish brown to castaneous, not bearded at the mouth. Inflorescence racemose or subpaniculate, narrow, very loose, 6-10(-20?) cm long, consisting of 2-4 distant fascicles of branches. Bracts similar to the leaves, the lower 1-2 much overtopping the inflorescence, their sheaths narrowly tubular, blackish purple, not bearded at the mouth, 1-1½ cm long. Branches solitary or 2-3 together, very unequal, erect, compressed, each bearing 1-2 spikelets, up to 4 cm long. Spikelets peduncled, oblong-lanceolate, acute, 1-2-flowered, fuscous, 9-11 by 1½-2 mm. Glumes 4-5, narrowly lanceolate, longacuminate, with scaberulous keel, the fertile ones 8-10 mm long, the lowest 1-2 empty, 5-8 mm. Bristles absent. Stamens 3; anthers with distinctly produced whitish connective. Style c. 5 mm long; stigmas 3. Nut obtusely trigonous, ovoid or ellipsoid, 3-ribbed, very indistinctly scrobiculate or practically smooth, greyish brown, 1½-1⅔ by c. 1 mm; epidermal cells small, almost isodiametric.
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