Perennial (?). Stems stout, spongy towards the thickened base, leafy throughout, scabrid on the angles, up to 100 cm by 7 mm. Leaves broadly linear, rather abruptly narrowed to the obtusish tip, glabrous, retrorsely scabrid on the margins, 7-13 mm wide; sheaths loose, not winged, scaberulous on the angles; contraligule short, broadly ovate, rounded, glabrous, with scarious, whitish margin. Inflorescence very loose, consisting of a terminal panicle and 2-3 distant lateral ones; panicles single at the nodes, compound, ovoid, c. 10 by 5-8 cm, branches obliquely patent, scabrid, spike-like, or with a few secondary branches 1-3 cm long; peduncles longexserted from the sheaths, scabrid; clusters of spikelets distant (1-2 cm spaced); primary bracts much longer than the panicles in their axils, but not overtopping the inflorescence; ultimate bracts very short, scale-like, shorter than to as long as the clusters of spikelets in their axils. Spikelets bisexual and ♂, 2-3 together, reddish brown; ♂ spikelets lanceolate, 3 mm long; stamens 3; anthers oblong-linear, c. 1 mm long; nut-bearing spikelets broadly ovoid, 4 mm long, with 1-2 ♂ flowers besides the ♀ one; largest glume c. 3 mm long. Disk thick, triangular, narrow, reflexed, not lobed, brown, each side bordered by a low swelling of the pericarp; scar of the cupula with 3 depressed-conical tubercles. Nut large, much exserted from the glumes, ovoid, terete or obsoletely trigonous, acutish, not beaked, smooth, very shining, white, sometimes slightly discoloured, 3⅓-3½ by 2⅔ mm.
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