Plants densely cespitose. Culms 25–35 cm. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped or rounded, sometimes prolonged beyond collar and rounded; distal ligules 1–3 mm; blades (2–)3–5 per fertile culm, 4–15 cm × 2–3 mm. Inflorescences open, orange-brown or greenish, 2.5–4 cm × 13–15 mm; proximal internode 6–12 mm; 2d internode 2–6 mm; proximal bracts scalelike or bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences. Spikes 3–7, distant, distinct, oblanceloid to obovoid, 14–21 × 7–10 mm, base attenuate, apex acute to rounded. Pistillate scales orange- or red-brown to coppery, with white or green midstripe, lanceolate to ovate, 4.8–5.5 mm, 2/3–3/4 length of and narrower than perigynia, margin white-hyaline, 0–0.2(–0.4) mm wide, apex obtuse. Staminate scales with white-hyaline margin 0–0.2(–0.4) mm wide. Perigynia appressed to appressed-ascending, greenish to straw colored, conspicuously 8–16-veined abaxially, conspicuously, shortly 4–7-veined adaxially, at least 3 adaxial veins longer than achene, lanceolate to ovate, plano-convex, 6.8–7.5 × 2–2.4 mm, (0.5–)0.6–0.8 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.4–0.5 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least distally; beak red-brown, sometimes white-hyaline at tip, cylindric, unwinged, entire for 0.5–0.9 mm, abaxial suture usually inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene 3.5–4.2 mm. Achenes ovate or obovate, 2.1–2.5 × 1.2–1.5 mm, 0.5–0.6 mm thick.
