Herbs perennial, cespitose, 20–50(–100) cm; rhizomes scaly; offshoots cormose. Culms tufted or close together, erect to leaning, smooth except in inflorescence. Leaves: proximal sheaths hispid-hirsute, median smooth, distal progressively shorter, smoother; principal blades toward midculm, linear to lance-linear, flat, 5–15 cm, smooth to sparsely strigose or puberulent, margins proximally or entirely spreading, hispid-ciliate. Inflorescences in clusters of terminal spikelets or from 1–2(–3) penultimate nodes, proximalmost involucral bract exceeding peduncle and cluster, distalmost shorter. Spikelets ovoid to cylindric, 10–15(–20 ) mm; fertile scales 3–3.5 mm; cusp excurved, length of scale; median ribs 3, strong. Flowers: perianth bristles incurved, mostly shorter than perianth stipe, mostly smooth; perianth blades short-oblong, ± equal to stipes, apex acute, strongly incurved, thickened distally, sometimes apiculate; anthers 3, 1–1.3 mm. Achenes: body trigonous, angles wirelike, faces lustrous brown or red-brown, 1 mm; beak linear, hispidulous at dilated tip. 2n = 46.
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Rhizomatous perennial to 5(–10) dm, the stems arising from axillary, cormose offshoots; lower sheaths hispid, the upper (and usually also the middle) ones glabrous; larger blades 5–15 cm × 3–10 mm, usually hispid-ciliate at least proximally, often also hairy on the surfaces, but the foliage smoother and stiffer than in no. 4 [Fuirena squarrosa Michx.]; spikelets 10–15(–20) mm, in 1–4 clusters; scales 3–3.5 mm, with mostly 3 strong median nerves convergent and exserted to form a spreading-recurved awn as long as the scale; bristles smoothish, short, incurved, rarely reaching the base of the pet-blades, these ovate or oblong, broadly acute to obtuse, sometimes apiculate; anthers 3, 1–1.3 mm; 2n=46. Bogs and wet sandy places; coastal plain from se. Va. to Fla. and Tex.; Cuba.
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