Perennial, with creeping stolons. Stems slender, scabrid to almost smooth, leafy throughout, (60-)90-150 cm by 2-4 mm. Leaves rather gradually narrowed to the slender acute tip, or (when broad) premorse (see notes), glabrous, retrorsely scabrid on the margins, (6-)10-25 mm wide; sheaths loose, broadly winged, the wings retrorsely scabrid on the edge; contraligule short, ovate or triangular, glabrous, with narrow, cartilagineous, incrassate, yellowish margin, which is often scabrid on the edge. Inflorescence dense, narrow, consisting of a terminal panicle up to 10 cm long, and often 1-2 smaller lateral ones; panicles single at the nodes, oblong, narrow because of the very short branches; peduncles scabrid, the lowest sometimes up to 5 cm exserted from its sheath; clusters of spikelets close together; primary bracts erect, longer than the panicles in their axils but not or hardly overtopping the inflorescence; secondary bracts subulate, standing out from the panicle, often curved. Spikelets ♀ (or bi-sexual) and ♂, 2-3 together, reddish brown; ♂ spikelets lanceolate, 4-5 mm long; stamens 3; anthers linear, 1½-2 mm long; nut-bearing spikelets broadly ovoid, c. 5 mm long, with a sterile or ♂ flower besides the ♀ one. Disk triangular, reflexed, shallowly or hardly 3-lobed, lobes very obtuse. Nut large, ovoid or broadly ovoid, not or slightly overtopping the glumes, very obtusely trigonous, obtuse, not beaked, smooth, very shining, white, 3-3⅔ by c. 3 mm.
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Perennials. Stolons ca. 3 mm in diam., covered with brown [or purplish] scales. Culms 60-100[-150] cm tall, 2-4 mm wide, sharply 3-angled, smooth to scabrous, glabrous. Leaf sheath 1-15 cm; several sheaths brown at base of culm, membranous to papery, not winged; other sheaths yellowish green, papery, wing 2-5 mm wide; ligule yellowish brown, glabrous or pilose; contraligule ovate-deltoid; leaf blade linear, ca. 30 × 0.5-1.5 cm, papery, glabrous. Involucral bracts leaflike, basalmost to 23 cm, sheathing; bractlets setaceous, base dilated. Inflorescences paniculate, with 1 distant lateral branch; branch spicate. Spikelets usually 2 or 3 in a cluster, rust-colored brown, sessile, ca. 3.5 mm, unisexual [or bisexual]. Male spikelets ellipsoid to oblong; glumes 2-3 mm, thickly membranous. Female spikelets usually at base of branch, ellipsoid to narrowly ovoid; glumes broadly ovate-lanceolate to broadly ovate, keeled, apex aristate. Male flowers: stamens 3; anthers linear, ca. 1.5 mm. Female flowers: stigmas 3. Disk pale brown, bluntly triangular, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., shallowly 3-lobed; lobes nearly semicircular, short, margin reflexed. Nutlet white or pale brown, ovoid, ca. 3 mm in diam., smooth, shiny, glabrous. Fl. and fr. Jul.
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