Robust, rhizomatous, to 1.5 m high. Female spikes in twos, threes or occasionally fives at each inflorescence-node, brown, pendulous on long peduncles. Utricles ± 2.5-3 mm long, not easily punctured; beak minute. Stigmas 2.

Rhizomatous; robust, 50–120 cm. tall, bright green. Culms 1.5–3.5–(5) mm. diam., triquetrous, us. sharply scabrid; basal sheaths dull grey-brown below, occ. purple-brown, margins shredding into fibres wrapped round the culm. Lvs ∞, us. > culms, (2)–5–9–(11) mm. wide, double-folded, margins scabrid. Spikes (10)–15–24, all pedunculate and pend., peduncles very slender, occ. far exceeding the spikes in length; upper 3–6–(7) spikes male, 2–3 mm. diam., glumes hardly awned; remaining spikes female, us. male at the top, geminate, ternate or quinate, lowermost spikes (3.5)–5–12–(15) cm. × 4–5–(6) mm., upper spikes progressively smaller. Glumes (excluding awn) ± = utricles, narrow-oblong, truncate or emarginate with a hispid awn of variable length, dark red-purple, midrib broad, light brown. Utricles (2.0)–2.3–2.9–(3.5) × 1.2–1.7–(2.0) mm., biconvex, fusiform, only slightly saccate, compressed at the base, tapering evenly above, green-, red- or yellow-brown, 3–5-nerved on each side, margins glab.; beak minute or c. 0.2 mm. long, orifice entire; stipe < 0.5 mm. long. Stigmas 2. Nut c. 1.5 mm. long, plano-convex, ovoid to almost orbicular, dull brown or dark grey.