Plants densely cespitose. Culms lateral, ascending, lax, or decumbent, very slender, 14–38 cm × 0.2–0.5 mm. Leaves: basal sheaths white or light brown; sheaths green, lighter to white at base, 1–22 mm; blades erect, ascending, or lax, grayish blue-green, midrib strongly developed, 2 lateral veins developed, 5–22 cm × (7–)11–28 mm, older leaves shriveling or dead at tips. Inflorescences: spikes (2–)3(–4) per culm, scattered; peduncles of pistillate spikes exserted 0–2.2 cm; of staminate spikes 0.1–0.8 cm; bracts from middle and proximal portions of culms 1.4–5.2 cm × 2–6 mm. Pistillate spikes: the proximal basal, erect, 6–16 × 2.8–3.8 mm. Staminate spike 1, linear-clavate, 6–14 × 2–4 mm. Pistillate scales keeled, 3–6 × 1.8–2.2 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline or brown tinged outward, apex apicluate or aristate, awn to 2 mm. Staminate scales obovate, 2.7–5 × 1.8–2.2 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline and brownish to purple tinged outward, apex obtuse to acute. Anthers 3.3–4 mm. Perigynia 2–9 per spike, overlapping, ascending, finely many-veined, obovoid, 3–3.2 × 1.8–2 mm; beak short curved. Achenes ovoid, 2.8–3 × 1.6–1.8 mm, slightly concave at maturity, tightly fitting in perigynia. Style ascending through entire orifice. 2n = 68, 70, n = 32 + (3), 33 + (3), 33 + (4).
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Tufted, 2–4 dm, the fertile stems lateral, roughened on the angles; basal sheaths white or light brown; lvs smooth, somewhat glaucous, those of the sterile shoots 10–25 mm wide, of the fertile shoots 2–6 mm wide; terminal spike staminate, 0.6–1.5 cm, on a peduncle 1–8 mm; pistillate spikes 2–4, 0.6–1.5 cm, scattered, the lowest one basal; pistillate scales apiculate or with an awn to 2 mm; perigynia 2–9, overlapping, 3–4.5 mm, finely many-nerved as well as 2-ribbed, sharply trigonous, elliptic in outline, rather abruptly contracted to the short, erect or outcurved beak with entire orifice; achene sharply trigonous; 2n=68, 70. Woods; Me. and s. Que. to Va. and in the mts. to N.C., w. to Wis. and Mo.
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