Rhizomes short. Basal sheaths prominent and persistent, pale brown or yellowish brown, dull or slightly shiny, margins and apices fibrillose, not or retaining a few dried leaf blades. Culms densely tufted, erect and rigid, obscurely trigonous, (7-)20-45 cm tall, 1-1.5 mm in diam. Leaves basal, shorter to longer than culms; blade semicircular or V-shaped in transverse section, 0.5-1.5 mm wide, midrib not usually distinct abaxially. Inflorescence ± densely spicate, usually unisexual (sometimes androgynous or gynaecandrous), male and female spikes borne on same plant. Male inflorescence narrowly cylindric or narrowly ellipsoid, 1.5-3(-5) × 0.3-0.6 cm; male glumes narrowly oblong, 6-8(-10) × 1-2 mm, margin narrowly hyaline, apex rounded. Female inflorescence brown, narrowly cylindric, 2.5-7.5 × 0.3-0.6 cm, lower spikelets distant; lowest involucral bract glumelike, apex acute or shortly aristate; female glumes brown, with paler midvein, oblong-ovate or narrowly triangular-ovate, 5-6 × 1.5-2 mm, midvein narrow, margin very narrowly hyaline, apex acute or obtuse. Prophylls lower part pale green, apex brown, narrowly oblong-elliptic, 4-6 × 0.8-1.8 mm, papery, 2-keeled, keels scabrid, margins free to base or fused in lower 1/4, not overlapping, apex truncate or notched. Nutlets narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, trigonous, very shortly stipitate and shortly beaked, 3.5-5.5 (including stipe and beak) × 0.8-1.5 mm. Stigmas 3. Sterile rachilla of female spikelets 1.2-2 mm, less than 1/2 length of nutlet. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.

This is possibly a form of Kobresia cercostachys, which it resembles (especially in its fibrillose leaf sheaths and somewhat intermediate leaf morphology) but differs from in its (usually) contrasting female and male spikes.

Grassy slopes, among shrubs, on mossy rocks, alpine meadows; 3100-4700 m. Gansu, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Nepal].