Like Cyperus papyrus, C. prolifer has very inconspicuous leaves, represented by red-brown sheaths at the base of the culms. Under ideal conditions the culms may attain 1.2 m in height, but are usually shorter. They are also very much more slender than in C. papyrus and distinctly flattened-triangular in cross-section. The inflorescence comprises numerous thin stalks carrying clusters of brown spikelets at their tips; when fully developed the stalks radiate from the top of the culm to form a sphere (similar to a dandelion head) about 100 to 150 mm in diameter. The effect is most attractive. As in Cyperus papyrus, the culms are connected by a rhizome which creeps along the substrate; it is of course much thinner and more delicate than in C. papyrus but is similarly covered in thin-textured, red-brown scales.