Perennial, to 120 cm. Rhizome short, 3-4 mm diam., with short stolons. Stem 3-5 mm diam., trigonous, smooth, green or greyish green. Leaves reduced; basal sheaths up to 20 cm, grey or greenish grey, sometimes slightly reddish, soft, mouth margin almost straight; blades to 15 cm long, 4 mm wide, erect, margins smooth, apex slightly scabrous. Inflorescence a compound anthelodium, 6.5-20 cm, bracts 2-5 foliose, up to 35 cm, margins recurved, slightly scabrous, apex long attenuate, scabrous; primary branches 5-15, rigid, smooth, tubular prophyll c. 15 mm; secondary anthelodia to 80 mm, conical, bracts up to 8 mm; secondary branches to 40 mm, tertiary anthelodia occasional, with 1-3 tertiary branches, to 18 mm; cluster of spikes c. 20 x 30 mm, widely conical, with 4-15 almost digitately arranged spikes; spikes 14-25 x c. 2 mm, with 12-28 glumes, compressed, rather lax, glume-like bract c. 2.5 mm, glume-like prophyll bi-nerved with spongy basis; rachis quadrangular, c. 0.5 mm wide, internodes 0.8-1 mm, widely winged; glumes 2.2-3 mm, rather narrow, mid-nerve prominent, apex acute, sides reddish brown, with 2-3 weak nerves, margins scarious. Nut 1.5 x 0.5 mm, ellipsoid, trigonous, brown, finely papillose, not bright glossy.

Fl. Per.: October - December.

Type: India, Tamil Nadu: "Misit sub hoc nomine barbaro Tranqvebaria Beatus Bög" (Rottb., Descr. & Icon.: 31, 1773), C-König, microfiche 5: 7-8!.

Marshy ground, shores; Distribution: From Pakistan and Nepal to Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka; acc. Kükenthal (1935) cultivated in Sulawesi (not given by Kern 1974 in Fl. Malesiana) and Mauritius.

Description is primarily based on Strachey & Winterbottom 9, from Kumaon (K), and Duthie 7050 from Betwa River, NW India (K). The Pinwill specimen is immature.