Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous. Culms trigonous, (10–)20–50 cm × (0.6–)1–2 mm, glabrous or more often scabridulous, either in distal 1/2 or over entire length; basal sheaths, 1–3, light brown, 1–4 cm, papery. Leaves flat to V-shaped, (2–)20–35 cm × 2–6 mm, margins and keel minutely scabridulous; proximal leaves bladeless. Inflorescences: spikes ± umbellate to slenderly (infrequently broadly) ovoid, 10–25 × 7–16 mm; rays 3–5, 1.5–8(–15) cm; bracts 3–7, erect (or declined at most 25–30° from vertical), (2.5–)8–20(–25) cm × (0.5–)1.5–6 mm; rachilla ± deciduous, wingless. Spikelets (1–)5–10(–20), oblong to linear-oblong, quadrangular, 7–10(–18) × (2.8–)3.2–4(–4.5) mm; floral scales deciduous, (1–)5–10(–14), spreading, laterally stramineous or dull whitish, sometimes also red-spotted, medially green, laterally 2–3-ribbed, medially 3-ribbed, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, (2.3–)2.8–3.2 × (2–)2.4–3.2 mm, apex broadly rounded, often clear-erose, cusp 0.1–0.4 mm in proximal scales, 0.3–1 mm in distal scales. Flowers: anthers 0.8–1.4 mm; styles 0.1–0.3 mm; stigmas 1.5–3 mm. Achenes light to dark brown or nearly black, broadly ellipsoid, infrequently obovoid, 2–2.4 × 0.9–1.4 mm, base cuneate to ± stipelike, apex obtuse to broadly rounded, surfaces papillose. 2n = 166.
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Perennial from short, knotty rhizomes; stems 1–10 dm, scabrous above on the sides and sharp angles, 1–2.5 mm thick below the infl; lvs basally disposed, 2–8 mm wide, scabrous on the margins; bracts 3–8, strongly ascending, usually much longer than the infl; sessile spike obconic to oblong; rays 1–8, rarely over 10 cm; spikelets 5–15 in the sessile spike, fewer in the reduced ones, all crowded, ascending, flattened, 5–25 × 3–4.5 mm, 5–18-fld; scales broadly ovate-elliptic to rotund, the body 2.5–3.5 mm, in half-view nearly or fully as wide as long, multinerved, with a conspicuous mucro 0.5–1 mm; rachilla wingless or nearly so; anthers 0.6–1 mm; achenes dark, trigonously oblong with plane or only slightly concave faces, 2–3 mm, half as thick; 2n=ca 166. Sandy soil; Mass. and Que. to Minn., s. and w. to N.J., O., Mo., Utah, N.M., and adj. Mex.
A sedge. These grow in clumps and have grass like leaves and solid stalks.
Riverbanks, sand bars, lakeshores, sand dunes, sandy openings in woods; at elevations up to 1,000 metres. Sands, beaches and barrens. Sandy soils, especially along the sides of lakes and streams.
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