Clumps densely or loosely tufted, dark-coloured. Rhizome 5–8 mm. diam., horizontal, not much branched. Flowering stems 30–100–(120) cm. × 1.5–3 mm., rather distant along the rhizome, rigid, terete, light to dark yellow-brown, pith continuous; basal bracts stiff, acute, red-brown, upper ones larger, broad and mucronate. Lvs 1–2, terete, bright green, sheathing at the base, similar to the stems but shorter. Infl. apparently lateral, open, irregularly-branched, branchlets ∞, rigid, almost equalling the pungent subtending bract. Fls c. 3 mm. long, clustered at the tips of the branchlets; tepals very stiff, red-brown with green to light brown midrib. Stamens us. 3 perfect and 3 aborted, but occ. 1 or more of the us. aborted inner ring are complete; anthers twice as long as filaments. Capsule slightly > tepals, ovoid, shining, mucronate, dark brown, almost black.