Leaves red, 3-6 ( -14) cm long, 1-2 mm wide below, tapering evenly to the tips, planoconvex or flat, margins scabrid, sheaths 0.2-0.3 mm wide. Culms usually not exserted but occasionally up to 10 cm long and then 0.5-1 mm thick, terete or trigonous, smooth. Inflorescence 1-2.5 cm long and congested or with the lowest fertile bract remote and the first internode 2-6 cm long. Spikes 3-5, terminal male 0.5-1 cm long, sessile, remainder female 0.4-1 cm long, 0.3-0.4 cm wide, ovate or cylindric, sessile or very shortly pedunculate, dense-flowered, black. Glumes shorter than the utricles, broadly ovate, obtuse to subacute, straw-coloured, or brown with a green midrib barely produced beyond the tip to form a mucro 0.1 (-0.5) mm long. Utricles 0.8-2.5 mm long, 1-1.3 mm broad, obovoid or rhomboidal, equally inflated or trigonous, nerved, black above, pale below, shining, often with a distinct stipe up to 0.5 mm long, usually rather abruptly contracted into a short broad beak, margins smooth, crura obsolete or absent.

Folia rubra, 3-6(-14) cm longa, basin versa 1-2 mm lata, apicem versa gradatim angustata, planoconvexa vel plana, marginibus scabris, vaginis 0.2-0.3 mm latis. Culmi plerumque non exserti interdum autem ad 10 cm longi et 0.5-1 mm lati, teretes vel trigoni, Iaeves. Inflorescentia 1-2.5 cm longa congesta vellaxior infima fertili bractea aliquid remota et internodio primo 2-6 cm longo. Spicae 3-5, spica terminalis mascula 0.5- 1 cm longa, sessilis, spicae ceterae femineae 0.4-1 cm longae, 0.3-0.4 cm latae, oyatae vel cylindricae, sessiles vel breve pedunculatae, densiflorae, nigrae. Glumae utriculis breviores, late ovatae, obtusae vel subacutae, stramineae, vel brunneae nervo medio viridi vix ultra apicem producto in mucronem 0.1 (-0.5) mm langum. Utriculi 0.8-2.5 mm longi, 1-1.3 mm lati, obovoidei vel rhombiformes, aequaliter inflati vel trigoni, nervati, supra nigri, pallidi infra, nitentes, saepe stipite distincto ad 0.5 mm longo, plerumque abruptius contracti in rostrum breve, latum, marginibus glabris, cruribus obsoletis vel nullis. Stigmata 3.

Reddish tufts to ± 10 cm high; rhizome short. Leaves concavo-convex usually > stems. Female spikes 2-3, sessile, close-packed, to 1 cm long. Glumes ± ½ length of black-tipped utricles. Stigmas 3.

Reddish, rhizomatous tufts. Rhizome 1–1.5 mm. diam. Culms 2–8–(15) cm. × c. 1 mm., cylindrical, glab.; shorter culms almost hidden within the grey-brown or light yellow-brown lf-sheaths. Lvs > or occ. < culms, 1–2 mm. wide, concavo-convex, margins and occ. keel scabrid towards lf-tip. Infl. of 3–4–(5) approximate, sessile spikes, lowermost spike in taller plants occ. distant; terminal spike male, glumes ovate, us. entire, creamy brown; remaining spikes female, clustered round base of male spike, 0.5–1 cm. × 3–4 mm. Glumes c. ½ the length of the utricles, ovate, almost hyaline with light red-brown striae, midrib cream, scabrid at the tip which is occ. produced to a very minute awn. Utricles 1.5–2.5 × c. 1 mm., ovoid-ellipsoid, cream at the base with red-brown to almost black markings on upper half, nerves distinct in lower half, margins glab.; beak minute, up to 0.3 mm. long, orifice entire or minutely bidentate, slightly scabrid; stipe minute or up to c. 0.5 mm. long. Stigmas 3. Nut c. 1 × 1 mm., obovoid, trigonous with rounded angles, dark grey-brown when mature.