Tufted perennial, 17-25 cm. Rhizome short, ascending or horizontal, not stoloniferous, producing tillers. Stem 1.5-2 mm diam., sharply trigonous, smooth, sides convex, grooved, glaucous green. Sheaths 2-3, lower to 15 mm, brown, ephemeral, longest up to 50 mm, glaucous green, mouth deeply oblique, margins widely scarious, brown; ligule 0 (?); blades reduced to mucro. Inflorescence of 1-3 patent spikes; lowest bract 7-15 mm, erect, trigonous, smooth, glaucous green, apex obtuse. Spikes 7-12 x 3-5 mm, ovoid; glumes 3.4-3.6 mm, cymbiform, rigid, back rounded, mid-nerve area and sides green, later brownish, midnerve smooth, extending with two strong side nerves into short mucro, positioned slightly back of glume apex, margins scarious, brown, with short fringe, apex rounded. Perianth bristles 5, equalling or longer than nut, pale; stamens 3, anthers c. 1.5 mm; stigmas 3. Nut 1.8-2 x 1.4-1.7 mm, widely obovoid, compressed, almost bi-convex, edge on abaxial side wide, rounded, surface smooth, yellowish, semi-glossy, epidermal cells elongated, narrow.

Fl. Per.: June.

Holotype: Pakistan: Swat, near Mingora, Rechinger 30675 (W).

River shore; Distribution: Possibly endemic.

Reminiscent of Schoenoplectus juncoides, but perennial (see below), stem sharply trigonous, stigmas 3, and glumes c. 3.5 mm long. Compared to S. mucronatus (next sp.), it is much smaller in all parts, i.e. number of spikes is small, bracts are short, glumes are c. 3.5 mm, and nut is smooth. S. fuscorubens (T. Koyama) T. Koyama, from China and Nepal, and Scirpus subbisetosus T. Koyama from Tibet are apparently related, but taller perennial species with terete stems.