Glabrous. Stems tufted, 10–14 in. long, slender, at the top trigonous and smooth; leaf-sheaths entire, not striate. Leaves 3/4 the length of the stems, hardly 1/8 in. broad, green, flaccid. Spikelets 16, condensed into a compound head, 1/2 in. in diam., lurid or blackish green; bracts 6–8, similar to the leaves, lowest up to 8–10 in. long. Spikelets 1/5 in. long, compressed, of 4 glumes, maturing 1 nut. Lowest empty glume lanceolate, acute, not bristle-tipped; nut-bearing glume ovate, acuminate, with a small recurved mucro, slenderly 9-striate, red-spotted. Stamens 3; anthers linear-oblong, muticous. Ovary lanceolate; style short; branches 3, long.
