Small tufts to small tussocks, laxly to densely caespitose, sometimes with fine creeping rhizomes. Culms glabrous, trigonous, at flowering similar in length to leaves, at maturity much longer than leaves, (50-)100-250(-400) × 0.3-0.4(-0.6) mm; basal bracts light brown to yellow- brown, dull, 2—7 mm long. Leaves plano-convex or concavo-convex, rigid, linear, strongly nerved on abaxial surface, erect or ascending, (45—)60— 220(—300) × 0.4—0.5 mm; apex obtuse and nerves weak or absent; margins scabrous when young, often becoming glabrous when mature. Spikes oblong, 15-20 mm long; female flowers proximal, 3—7, internodes 1.5—3 mm long; male flowers distal, 3— 5. Glumes < utricle, deciduous, elliptic-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3.5-4.5(-5) × 1.5-2 mm; midrib green; apex subacute to obtuse; margins membranous. Utricles trigonous, elliptic to lanceolate, yellowgreen, yellow-brown, or light brown, lateral nerves present but not conspicuous, 5—6.2 × 0.9—1.1 mm; stipe and beak both narrow, each c. 1.5 mm long; rachilla exserted beyond utricle, 5.3—6.5 mm long. Nut trigonous, narrow-elliptic to linear, pale brown, dull, (3-)3.2-3.9 × 0.8-1.1 mm. FL Nov-Dec, FT Dec-May.

Unciniae nervosae affinis a qua diffcrt foliis, culmis, spicis, utriculisque angustioribus; glumis minoribus, quam utriculis brevioribus; internodiis inter flosculos longioribus; nuce longa angustaque.