Slender perennial, in close-packed tufts from a shortly creeping rhizome. Culms 5-30 cm long, less than 0-5 mm in diameter, soft and usually flaccid; basal bracts light reddish brown. Leaves 1-3-(4) per culm, bright green, soft, usually flaccid, shorter than the culms; sheaths often tinged with redpurple. Inflorescence of 1-3 ovate spikelets, occasionally proliferous, subtending bract up to 6 times the length of spikelet. Spikelets 2-5-4 × 2-3 mm, varying in colour from pale green, through green tinged with red-purple to almost entirely black. Glumes (1)-1.2-1.8 mm long, ovate-elliptical, acute, keel green, prominent, often slightly excurrent, sides wholly cream, or with red-purple markings to almost entirely dark red-purple, but then often with pale cream nerves. Stamens occasionally 3 or usually 2 in lower glumes, usually only 1 stamen in upper glumes. Style branches 3. Hypogynous bristles 0. Nut 1—1.4 × 0-6—0-8 mm, obovate-elliptical, trigonous with angles slightly thickened, cream to sometimes light brown, minutely stipitate and apiculate.

Herba perennis gracilis, stolonifera. Culmi 5—30 cm longi, molles, plerumque flaccidi. Folia breviora culmis, viridia, mollia, plerumque flaccida; vagina saepe purpureo colore tincta. Spiculae 1—3, ovatae, nunc pallide virides, nunc purpureo tinctae, nunc paene nigrae; bractea subjacens inflorescentiam sexies longitudine superans. Glumae ovato-ellipticae, acutae, conspicua viridi carina. Stamina 3—2 in glumis inferioribus, in superioribus plerumque 1. Styli rami 3. Setae hypogynae 0. Nux trigona, angulis crassioribus, subalba vel interdum pallide brunnea.

Slender tufts. Stems flaccid, (5) -10-30 cm high. Inflorescence of 1-3 green or reddish-black spikelets. Stamens usually 2 in lower glumes, usually 1 in upper glumes. Style-branches 3. Nut > 1 mm long, trigonous, cream.

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