Perennials. Stolons ca. 3 mm in diam., covered with brown [or purplish] scales. Culms 60-100[-150] cm tall, 2-4 mm wide, sharply 3-angled, smooth to scabrous, glabrous. Leaf sheath 1-15 cm; several sheaths brown at base of culm, membranous to papery, not winged; other sheaths yellowish green, papery, wing 2-5 mm wide; ligule yellowish brown, glabrous or pilose; contraligule ovate-deltoid; leaf blade linear, ca. 30 × 0.5-1.5 cm, papery, glabrous. Involucral bracts leaflike, basalmost to 23 cm, sheathing; bractlets setaceous, base dilated. Inflorescences paniculate, with 1 distant lateral branch; branch spicate. Spikelets usually 2 or 3 in a cluster, rust-colored brown, sessile, ca. 3.5 mm, unisexual [or bisexual]. Male spikelets ellipsoid to oblong; glumes 2-3 mm, thickly membranous. Female spikelets usually at base of branch, ellipsoid to narrowly ovoid; glumes broadly ovate-lanceolate to broadly ovate, keeled, apex aristate. Male flowers: stamens 3; anthers linear, ca. 1.5 mm. Female flowers: stigmas 3. Disk pale brown, bluntly triangular, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., shallowly 3-lobed; lobes nearly semicircular, short, margin reflexed. Nutlet white or pale brown, ovoid, ca. 3 mm in diam., smooth, shiny, glabrous. Fl. and fr. Jul.

Sunny slopes; ca. 200 m. Yunnan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand; N Australia].