Plants densely cespitose. Culms 20–120 cm. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline or green-and-white mottled, papillose, summits U-shaped, shortly prolonged beyond collar; distal ligules 2–3 mm; blades 3–6 per fertile culm, green, without auricles, 8–30 cm × 2–4 mm, pliable. Inflorescences open, usually with widely spaced spikes, flexible, brown or greenish brown, 1.5–8 cm × 7–15 mm; proximal internode 5–25 mm; 2d internode 4–12 mm; proximal bracts scalelike, sometimes bristlelike to 1 cm. Spikes 3–7(–11), usually distant, oblong to ellipsoid, 7–25 × 5–7 mm, base clavate to attenuate, apex usually rounded. Pistillate scales usually reddish brown, or green or gold in shade forms, with 3-veined green or brown midstripe, ovate, 4–5 mm, equaling, ± covering perigynia, apex acute to acuminate. Perigynia erect-ascending, green or brown, conspicuously 4–9-veined abaxially, veinless or conspicuously unequally 4–8-veined adaxially, ovate, plano-convex or concavo-convex, 3.3–5 × (1.5–)1.7–2.5 mm, 0.6–0.8 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.4 mm wide, smooth or ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body; beak white or brown, white margin at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous or with white margin, distance from beak tip to achene (1.4–)1.7–2.5 mm. Achenes dark brown at maturity, ovoid-orbicular, 1.3–2.1 × 1.2–1.7 mm, 0.5–0.6 mm thick, 1–1.4(–1.5) times as long as wide. 2n = 82, 84.
