Tussocky perennial with succulent cylindrical to narrow bottle-shaped stem-bases covered by membranous pale or light brown sheaths without keeled midrib; stem 3–25 cm long and 0.3–1.5 mm thick, triangular, glabrous or minutely scabrid. Leaves crowded near the plant base; blades 2–10 cm long and 0.5–1.5 mm wide, flat but folded when dry to appear filiform, densely scabrid on midrib and the pale narrow marginal border scabrid dentate. Inflorescence of 4–15 crowded sessile spikelets forming a head 1–4 cm in diam.; involucral bracts leaf-like, 2–15 cm long, spreading or reflexed. Spikelets 5–20 x 2–3 mm, flat, 10–25-flowered. Glumes 3–4 mm long, acute, triangular, light to dark reddish brown without a prominent pale marginal border, with many prominent lateral nerves and with the upper part of the midrib green or straw-coloured, prominently keeled and scabrid above, excurrent into a 0.6–0.8 mm long recurved mucro. Style with 3 short branches.