Tight tuft-forming perennial, 20-50 mm. Rhizome short, erect, with tillers. Stem c. 0.5 mm diam, terete, grooved, smooth, grey-green. Leaves equalling stem or slightly longer; sheaths 10-20 mm, soft, grey or yellowish brown, finally disintegrating into fibres, margin of scarious side straight or shallowly concave; ligule 0.3 mm, scarious, slightly arched; blades c. 0.3 mm wide, thick with narrow adaxial side to channelled, grey-green, margins smooth or finely scabrous towards obtuse apex. Inflorescence an androgynous spike with 3-6 spirally arranged glumes, 2-6.5 x 1-2.5 mm; male flowers mostly 2, with two stamens, male glumes 2.2-2.6 mm, clasping, obtuse, dark brown; female flowers 2-4, glumes 2-2.5 mm, dark brown, mid-nerve area smooth with three nerves barely reaching rounded, narrowly scarious apex. Utricles 2.2-2.6 mm, 2-nerved, apex dark brown, narrowly scarious, basal part slightly suberous, margins fused c. 1 mm, with sterile, compressed, green rachilla, c. 1 mm. Stamens 2-3; stigmas 3. Nut 1.8-2 x 1-1.1 mm, obovoid, trigonous, apiculate, dark brown, glossy, almost smooth.