Carpha

Perennial herbs with short rhizome. Culms tufted, nodeless, trigonous. Leaves basal; ligule absent. Inflorescence condensed, with 1–3 loosely head-like or obconical clusters of shortly pedicellate spikelets. Spikelets compressed, 1-flowered; rachilla short, straight, not produced beyond the flowers; glumes 4 or 5, distichous, the lower ones empty, about half the size of upper glumes, the uppermost glume setaceous to linear and thin-textured; hypogynous bristles 6, antrorsely plumose for most or all of their length, falling with nut; stamens 3; style-base continuous with ovary, terete, rigid, persistent; style 3-fid. Nut trigonous, shortly stipitate.