Rhizomes short. Culms 0.8-1.5 m tall, stout, rigid, obtusely 3-angled, 5-7-nodose, clothed at base with a few bladeless leaf sheaths. Leaves shorter than culm; sheath reddish brown; leaf blade linear, 4-10 mm wide, stiff. Involucral bracts 1-4, leaflike, overtopping inflorescence. Inflorescences consisting of a terminal and 2-4 lateral lax anthelae; lateral anthelae simple, with 5 or fewer ca. 7 cm rays; terminal decompound anthela with many rays. Spikelets in spherical clusters of 5-10, oblong to ovoid, 5-9 × 3-4 mm, densely many flowered, apex obtuse. Glumes reddish brown, lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 2.5-3 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex acute. Perianth bristles 6, white, 3-4 × as long as nutlet, basally flexuose, apically sparsely antrorsely scabrous. Anthers linear. Style of medium length; stigmas 3. Nutlet yellowish, oblong to obovoid, ca. 1 mm, compressed 3-sided, shiny, apex shortly beaked. Fl. and fr. Aug-Sep.
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