Stems to 60 cm long, often drooping. Leaves > stems; sheaths red-brown. Female spikes c. 5, ± distant, ± pedunculate, to 7 × ± 1 cm, red-brown or greenish-brown. Utricles scarcely nerved when mature. Stigmas 3.

Culms 15–60 cm. × 1–2 mm., smooth, trigonous, often drooping; basal sheaths dark red-brown. Lvs > culms, up to 80 cm. long, 3–6.5 mm. wide, double-folded, margins of upper half sharply scabrid. Infl. of (2)–4–8 ± distant, red-brown or light brown spikes, the upper sessile, the lower drooping on filiform peduncles; terminal 1–(2) spikes entirely male or with few to ∞ female fls at the top, remaining spikes female with a few ± distant male fls at the base, 1–7 × 0.5–1 cm. Glumes (excluding awn) ± = or slightly > utricles, ovate-lanceolate, acute and entire or slightly emarginate, membr., light red-brown with a thickened green midrib produced to a slightly scabrid awn 1–2 mm. long. Utricles 3–4 × c. 1 mm., unequally biconvex, fusiform, conspicuously costate when immature, turgid, smooth and slightly spreading when mature, yellowish brown, margins glab.; beak narrow, 0.5–1 mm. long, very shortly bifid, orifice slightly scabrid; stipe < 0.5 mm. long. Stigmas 3. Nut 1.5–2 mm. long, trigonous, obovoid-ellipsoid, dark brown.