Tufted perennial, 30-60(-80) cm. Stem erect or base ascending, sharply trigonous, smooth, papillose, grey-green. Leaves c. 1/2 of stem length; sheaths 30-50 mm, wide and conspicuous, grey or yellowish-brown, sometimes reddish, margin of scarious side concave; ligule to 0.7 mm, arch shallow; blades 3-9 mm wide, flat, margins recurved, long acuminate, grey-green, both sides papillose near scabrous apex. Inflorescence sometimes of 1-2 male or to several gynecandrous spikes above, sometimes male and female flowers mixed in spikes, 2-4(-6) female spikes below, imbricate, long-pedunculate, lowest remote, drooping. Bracts shorter than their spike, with sheath to 40 mm. Male spikes 12-22 x 4-6 mm, closely imbricate; male glumes c. 4.5 x 1 mm, narrowly oblong to oblanceolate, acute or with mucro to 0.4 mm, dark reddish brown. Female spikes 20-50 x 4-8 mm, club-shaped; female glumes 3-5.6 mm, c. equalling utricle, narrowly oblong or ovate, acute or barbed arista to 1.3 mm, from dark reddish brown or almost black and with or without narrow scarious margin to light brown and with wide scarious margins; utricles 3-5.5 x 1.3-2.9 mm, ellipsoid to globose, flat, smooth or few bristles on lateral nerves, from dark reddish brown or almost black to light brown with wide colourless areas, beak 0.3-1 mm, cylindrical, truncate or oblique, smooth or with some barbs, as usually scarious. Stigmas 3. Nut 1.5-2.2 x 0.8-1.2 mm, incl. a to 0.3 mm style base, obovoid, trigonous, yellowish, very finely reticulate and papillose.