Plants cespitose; rhizomes long. Culms round in cross section, 17–48 cm, smooth distally. Leaves: basal sheaths brown, rarely red tinged; ligules shorter than wide; blades mid to dark green, wiry, filiform-involute, circular in cross section, 1.3–3(–3.2) mm wide, glabrous. Inflorescences 2–14 cm; proximal bract 0.7–10(–16) cm, shorter than or equaling inflorescence; proximal 1–2(–3) spikes pistillate, erect; terminal 1–2(–3) spikes staminate. Pistillate scales ovate, 2.4–4 × 1.3–2.1 mm, as long as or shorter than perigynia, margins entire, apex obtuse or acute, awnless. Perigynia spreading to reflexed, obscurely few-veined, veins not extending to beak, elliptic, 2.5–3.9(–4.2) × 1.4–2.3 mm, apex abruptly contracted, membranaceous; beak 0.4–0.8(–0.9) mm, obscurely bidentulate, smooth, teeth straight, to 0.3 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes yellow, trigonous, smooth. 2n = 80.
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