Plants tufted, 9--25 cm tall. Stems terete. Basal leaves several; leaf blade lanceolate, flat, 3--10 cm × 2--4 mm, margin pilose, apex obtuse and with a callus. Cauline leaf usually 1, long pilose especially near juncture with leaf sheath. Inflorescences clustered, erect, spikelike, elliptic-oblong, simple or rarely lobed, 1--2 cm, densely many flowered; basal bract leaflike, 2--4 cm. Pedicels short; bracteoles ovate, ca. 2 × 1 mm, hyaline, margin sparsely pilose. Perianth segments pale brown to blackish brown with white margin, ovate-lanceolate, 2.1--2.8 × 0.8--1 mm, apex acuminate. Filaments ca. 1 mm; anthers ca. 0.7 mm. Style ca. 0.5 mm; stigmas 1.5--2 mm. Capsule trigonous globose, 2--2.2 mm. Seeds ellipsoid-obovoid, ca. 1 mm; appendage basal, white, ca. 0.3 mm. Fl. May--Jun, fr. Jun--Jul.

* Alpine areas. Taiwan.