Perennial herb forming loose clumps. Leaves 8–15(–40) cm. long, 3–4 mm. wide; sheaths lightly furrowed, brown, glabrous, with narrow scarious margins; ligule acute, ± 1 mm. long; lamina linear, glabrous, smooth or minutely rugulose on one surface, dark- speckled when dry; apex acute, straight or slightly incurved, serrulate, sometimes with a group of small finger-like hairs at the extreme tip. Peduncles 20–50(–85) cm. long, 1–1.5 mm. in diameter, terete with 4–6 longitudinal ridges, glabrous; spike subspherical to broadly ellipsoid, up to 8 mm. long, 8 mm. in diameter, at maturity, reddish brown; the four outermost sterile bracts very broadly ovate, ± 2 mm. long and wide, apex rounded; other sterile bracts broadly ovate, 5 mm. long, 3.5 mm. wide, coriaceous, reddish brown with a very distinct grey central area, margins laciniate-ciliate, apex rounded, sometimes with a distinct tuft of arachnose hairs, later glabrous; fertile bracts similar but larger, 5 mm. long, 3.5 mm. wide. Lateral sepals arcuate, 4.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, keel ciliate-dentate, sometimes with an apical tuft of hairs; corolla yellow, tube ± 3 mm. long, lobes oblong, ± 3.5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, dentate at the apex. Stamens ± 1 mm. long; anther 0.5 mm. long, lobes spreading below; staminodes small bunches of hairs. Ovary oblong, ± 2 mm. long, 0.5 mm.; style 4 mm. long, 3-branched in upper third; stigmas many- lobed. Seeds narrowly ellipsoid, ± 1 mm. long, 0.25 mm. in diameter, with numerous irregular longitudinal ridges or reticulations. Fig. 1/9.
