2n = 52

2n = 56

Green or red tufts to 60 cm high. Stems often greatly elongated at maturity to 3 m. Female spikes 2-4, ± approximate, ± sessile, to 2.5 cm × ± 5 mm, light to dark brown. Glumes membranous, awned. Stigmas 2.

Densely tufted, 30–60 cm. high. Culms < or > lvs, often exceedingly elongated at maturity, up to 300 cm. long and prostrate, < 1 mm. diam., often almost filiform, trigonous or subtrigonous, glab. or slightly scabrid below the infl.; basal sheaths dark brown or red-brown, nerves distinct. Lvs 1–2.5–(3) mm. wide, channelled, light green, often reddish, harshly scabrid. Spikes 3–5, ± approximate; terminal spike male, c. 1 mm. diam., ± = female spikes in length, on a filiform peduncle; remaining spikes female, 0.5–2.5–(3) cm. × c. 5 mm., often with a few male fls at the base, sessile, or the lowest more distant and shortly pedunculate. Glumes (excluding awn) ± = utricle, broadly ovate, thin and membr., often deeply emarginate, occ. entire, very light brown with darker flecks, midrib us. brown-spotted, produced to a scabrid awn of variable length. Utricles c. 2.5 × 1.5 mm., ± plano-convex, broadly ovoid, pale yellow-brown below, purple-brown above, nerved, more strongly so on the more convex face, shining, narrowed abruptly to the deeply bifid beak c. 0.5 mm. long, margins and orifice us. finely scabrid, occ. ± contracted below to a stipe c. 0.5 mm. long. Stigmas 2. Nut c. 1.5 mm. long, biconvex, dark brown, almost black.