Rhizome stout, covered with fibrous remains of old scales. Culms 40-70 cm tall, rather stout, trigonous, smooth, surrounded at base by dark brown bladeless sheaths, sheaths usually disintegrating into fibers. Leaves longer than or equaling culm, blades 4-7 mm wide, flat, leathery, smooth, margins scabrid. Lower involucral bracts shortly leaflike, upper one bristlelike, shorter than subtending spike, sheath 2-5 cm. Spikes 4-6; terminal spike male, cylindric, 50-80 × 3-5 mm, with peduncle 4-6 cm; lateral spikes female, spaced, cylindric, 50-80 × 3-5 mm, densely flowered, ± nodding at apex, peduncle 2-4 cm, slightly exserted but upper ones enclosed in involucral bract sheath. Female glumes pale brown on both upper sides, oblong, 3-3.5 mm, costa pale green, with a distinct midrib, apex acute. Utricles shorter than glume, obovate, 2-2.5 mm (including stipe), prominently many veined, puberulent, base stipitate, apex shortly beaked, beak slightly recurved, emarginate at orifice. Nutlet stramineous, tightly enveloped, shortly oblong, 1.5-2 mm, with angles contracted at middle, base with short and bent stipe, apex abruptly contracted into a short cylindric beak; style base slightly thickened, most parts not persistent; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Apr-May.

● Forest margins on mountain slopes, shady places near rocks in valleys, ditch sides; 300-800 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Zhejiang.