Plants densely cespitose. Culms 14–110 cm. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped to rounded, often prolonged to 3 mm beyond collar; distal ligules (1.5–)2–3.5 (–5) mm; blades 3–4(–5) per fertile culm, 8–25 cm × (2–)3–5 mm. Inflorescences dense, brown or gold, usually ± triangular, 1.6–3 cm × 12–20 mm; proximal internode 3–5.5 mm; 2d internode 1.5–5 mm; proximal bracts scalelike or bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences. Spikes 4–6(–10), densely aggregated or, sometimes, proximal 1 distant, narrowly to broadly ovoid, (8.5–)10–12 × 6–11 mm, base rounded to attenuate, apex truncate to acute. Pistillate scales gold or light red-brown, often with pale or green midstripe, ovate to lanceolate, (3.2–)3.9–4.8 mm, longer and narrower than perignyia, margin white, 0.1–0.5 mm wide, apex acuminate. Perigynia ascending to ascending-spreading, green and white, gold, or light brown, conspicuously (8–)10–17-veined abaxially, conspicuously (0–)4–12-veined adaxially, at least 3 adaxial veins longer than achene, usually ovate or broadly ovate, plano-convex, (3.8–)4.4–5.5(–6) × (1.4–)1.8–2.5 mm, 0.5–0.8 mm thick, margin flat, including wing (0.2–)0.3–0.4(–0.5) mm wide, ciliate-serrulate distally; beak gold to dark brown at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous or with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 2–2.8(–3.3) mm. Achenes elliptic to broadly ovate, 1.7–2.4 × 1.1–1.7 mm, 0.4–0.6 mm thick.
