Perennial. Stems scabrid on the angles, glabrous or short-pubescent, often with asperous sides, up to 120 cm by 3-6 mm. Leaves in the middle part of the stem clustered, in pseudo-whorls of 2-5, gradually narrowed upwards, scabrid on the margins, more or less asperous above, glabrous or pubescent beneath, 5-10 mm wide; sheaths glabrous or pubescent, not winged; contraligule short, broadly rounded, hirsute-ciliate. Inflorescence narrow, dense or rather dense, 20-50 cm long, consisting of a terminal panicle and up to 7 lateral ones; panicles oblong, single or binate at the nodes, with obliquely erect, almost spiciform branches; primary bracts leafy, secondary ones inconspicuous, shorter than the branchlets in their axils. Spikelets 2-3 together, unisexual; ♂ spikelets narrowly lanceolate, c. 3 mm long; ♀ spikelets evenly distributed along the branchlets and throughout the panicles, numerous, suborbicular, rounded at the base, c. 4 mm long; stamens 3; anthers linear, c. 1 mm long. Disk large, coriaceous, less deeply 3-lobed than in S. scrobiculata and S. purpurascens, shining, bright yellow or reddish; lobes broadly triangular, very obtuse, prominently denticulate, appressed. Nut exserted from the glumes, globose, hardly or not umbonulate, almost smooth to slightly rugulose, hirtellous, white or (frequently) more or less tinged with blue, with purplish style-scar, 2-2½ mm long and wide.
Rain-forests, swamp-forests, forest-borders, banks of streams, also in coastal vegetation, at low altitudes, rarely up to 1200 m.
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