Densely tufted, aphyllopodic, 3-10 dm; main lvs 3-5 mm wide, mostly shorter than the stems; bracts inconspicuous; spikes 3-15, gynaecandrous, 6-25 mm, often basally clavate, sessile in a loose, commonly flexuous spike that may be interrupted below; pistillate scales as long as but often evidently narrower than the perigynia; perigynia planoconvex, usually turning pale to dark brown (especially over the achene ventrally) at maturity, smooth, 3.4-5 × 1.2-2.2 mm, ventrally nerveless or obscurely few-nerved, more strongly (1-)3-8-nerved dorsally, usually widest at 1/3 to 2/5 of their total length, tapering to a flattened, often ill-defined, sometimes minutely slender-tipped beak, wing-margined, the wings finely and evenly serrulate-ciliolate, not expanded above the middle of the body; achene lenticular, 1.5-2 mm. Variously in wet to dry places; Lab., and Nf. to Yukon and B.C., s. to Conn., N.Y., Pa., Mich., and Ida. (C. aenea)
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