Rhizome short, ligneous. Culms tufted or loosely tufted, 20-50 cm tall, rather thick, obtusely trigonous, smooth, bearing a few leaves near base. Leaves shorter than culm, blades 5-9 mm wide, plicate near base and flattened distally, scabrous on both surfaces and margins, sheaths ± long, membranous at one side. Involucral bracts leaflike, upper ones linear, shorter than inflorescence, scabrous, shortly sheathed, lowermost sheath up to 6 cm. Inflorescence a compound panicle with several partial panicles, each partial panicles usually with a few spikes; all spikes of terminal partial panicle and terminal spikes of lateral partial panicles gynaecandrous, sessile; remaining spikes female, ± stipitate, usually slightly pendulous; spikes narrowly cylindric, 3-4 cm, loosely many flowered. Female glumes brownish yellow, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 4 mm, membranous, midrib keeled, margins white hyaline, apex acuminate. Utricles greenish, suberect, longer than glume, elliptic-lanceolate, trigonous, ca. 5 mm, papery, glabrous, slightly shiny, distinctly 2-veined laterally, other veins inconspicuous, base cuneate, apex gradually narrowed to a long beak, beak ca. 2 mm, scabrous on both margins, orifice obliquely truncate, white hyaline on margins. Nutlets brownish, tightly enveloped, oblong, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, sessile; stigmas 3.

Mountain slopes, ravines, grasslands; 2500-3600 m. Sichuan, Yunnan [Bhutan, Nepal].