Perennial. Stems rather stout, smooth, often quite or almost hidden by the overlapping leaf-sheaths, (30-)60-100 cm by 2-5 mm. Leaves cauline, very gradually narrowed to the very slender, scabrous tip, glabrous or shortly pubescent, sometimes asperous on the upper side, 5-15 mm wide; sheaths loose, not winged, stramineous or purplish at the base, glabrous or pubescent, the mouth emarginate on the ventral side, ciliate. Inflorescence narrow, elongate, 15-60 cm long, consisting of a terminal panicle and several (up to 10) distant fascicles of erect, decompound lateral panicles; lower primary bracts much exceeding their panicles, the upper ones gradually shorter; peduncles of lateral panicles single or binate at the nodes, smooth, hardly (rarely up to 5 cm) exserted from the sheaths. Spikelets all bisexual, lanceolate in flower, ovate in fruit, solitary or in clusters of 2-3, brown, 3-4 mm long; glumes ovate, acute, shortly pubescent in the upper part, the longest c. 3 mm; ♂ part of the spikelet c. 3 mm long; stamens 3; anthers linear, c. 2 mm long. Disk thick, reflexed, not lobed, about as wide as the base of the nut. Nut conical with flat sides, prominently trigo-nous, truncate at the base, acute, not or hardly beaked, smooth, shining, white or dingy purple, covered with erect, appressed, weak, ferrugineous or cinnamomeous long hairs, finally more or less glabrescent, 1⅔-2 by 1½-1⅔ mm.
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