Plants perennial; rhizomes elongate, nodulose, to 5 mm thick. Culms usually in tufts, erect, slender, 30–60(–70) cm, sometimes appearing weak, glabrous or hairy. Leaves: proximal sheaths purple tinged, the distal rosy red-tinged, usually narrowly winged, ribbed, pubescent or glabrous; contra-ligules ovate; blades linear, ribbed, shorter than or equaling culms, 2–6 mm wide, glabrous or ciliate to scabrous. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, of 2–5 small clusters, 5–20 × 5–10 mm, each with 1–4 spikelets; the lateral on reddish filiform peduncles dilated toward apex, hairy or scabrous on angles; bracts subtending inflorescence leaflike, linear-lanceolate, 3–10 cm, glabrous or ciliate. Spikelets bisexual and staminate, staminate part frequently reduced in bisexual spikelets, purple tinged, 3–8 mm; staminate scales lanceolate; pistillate scales ovate, acuminate. Achenes white or grayish or grayish brown with dark longitudinal bands, ovoid, shorter than scales, 3–4 mm, smooth, shining, apex umbonate; hypogynium golden brown, rather broad, base obtuse-trigonous, supporting 8–9 small, round or elongate, granulose-spiculose tubercles.
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Slender, 3–8 dm, cespitose from knotty rhizomes; main blades 3–5 mm wide, attenuate, often sparsely villous; cymes often solitary, the lower ones when present long-peduncled, the upper subtended and partly sheathed by foliaceous bracts to 10 cm × 5 mm; pistillate scales ovate, acuminate or short-aristate; achene bright white, ovoid, 3–3.5 mm, apiculate, the short, broad, smooth, brown hypogynium separated from the body by 8 or 9 rounded white tubercles. Wet meadows and woods; C. Amer., Mex., and Puerto Rico, n. to Tex., Mo., Ind., Va., and reputedly N.J.
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