Plants densely cespitose. Culms 15–45 cm. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits usually U-shaped; distal ligules 0.8–1.5 mm; blades 3–5 per fertile culm, occasionally folded, if not folded, margins revolute, 5–10 cm × 1.5–2.5(–3) mm, thick, tough. Inflorescences dense to ± open, whitish, gold, or brown, (1.5–)2–3(–3.7) cm × 6–12 mm; proximal internode 4–11 mm; 2d internode 2.5–7 mm; proximal bracts scalelike or bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences. Spikes 4–6, distant, distinct, lanceloid to ovoid, 10–15 × 4–6 mm, base tapered to attenuate, apex rounded to acute. Pistillate scales red-brown, with straw colored to tan midstripe, usually ovate, to 4–5 mm, equaling, covering at least perigynium bodies, margin white, 0.2–0.6 mm wide, apex obtuse to short-awned. Perigynia appressed or appressed-ascending, green, gold, or coppery, conspicuously 7–14-veined abaxially, conspicuously 3–8-veined adaxially, lanceolate or ovate to oblanceolate or obovate, plano-convex, (3.7–)4.5–6 × 1.5–2.6 mm, 0.5–0.7(–0.9) mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.4(–0.5) mm wide; beak brown to gold or reddish, often white-hyaline at tip, ± cylindric, ± ciliate-serrulate for distal 0.2–0.7 mm, abaxial suture with white margin, or sometimes inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene (0.6–)1–2 mm. Achenes lanceolate to ovate or obovate, 1.9–2.4 × 1.2–1.6 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick.
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