Greyish green, tufted perennial, 30-35 cm. Rhizome short, horizontal or ascending, with tillers. Stem 2-3 mm wide, strongly compressed, with 2 sharp edges, grooved, papillose between veins. Leaves c. half of stem length; shetahs up to 70 mm, yellowish green, lowest blade-less, mouth margin of scarious side deeply oblique; ligule a fringe of hairs c. 0.3 mm long; blades 3-5 mm wide, flat, soft, flexuous, grey green, abaxial side many-nerved, with papillae between nerves, adaxial side with much wider cells, not papillose, margins scabrous towards obtuse apex. Inflorescence 40-80 x 35-80 mm, a globose anthelodium of c. 100 to more than 200 spikes; lowest bract foliose, shorter than inflorescence; primary branches many, up to 50 mm, compressed, deeply grooved, all over scabrous; secondary anthelodia to 30 x 40 mm, secondary branches several, to 15 mm, compressed, scabrous; tertiary anthelodia to 15 x 15 mm, with 3-7 tertiary branches to 5 mm; ultimate branches end in spike 4-10 x 1.5-2 mm, brown, fusiform, with 10-30 glumes; glumes 2-2.8 x c. 1.5 mm, keeled, acute, brown, mid-nerve smooth or scabrous, excurrent to mucro, sides nerve-less, brown, scarious. Stamens 3, anther c. 1 mm; stigmas 3. Nut 0.5-0.7 x 0.4-0.5 mm, obovate, trigonous, reticulate and tuberculate, white, with small brownish stipe.