Plants not cespitose. Culms obtusely or acutely angled, 15–80 cm, glabrous or minutely scabrous. Leaves: basal sheaths brown or red-brown; sheaths of proximal leaves glabrous, fronts lacking spots and veins, apex U-shaped; blades hypostomic, 4–8 mm wide, abaxially papillose. Proximal bract equal to or longer than inflorescence, 3–8 mm wide. Spikes usually pendent; staminate (1–)2–3; pistillate 2–7; proximal pistillate spike 2.2–6.5 cm × 5–13 mm, base obtuse. Pistillate scales yellow-brown; 3.4–20 × 1–1.7 mm (including awn), midvein reaching apex, 1/3–1/2 the width of scale, apex acuminate or retuse, aristate, awn scabrous. Perigynia divergent, pale brown, 0–50-veined on each face, thick-walled, somewhat inflated, loosely enclosing achenes, ellipsoid, 2.4–4 × 1.3–1.9 mm, leathery, dull, base with stipe to 0.5 mm, apex acute, short-papillose; beak cylindric, 0.2–0.4 mm, entire. Achenes deeply constricted on 1 margins or 1 face, apex rounded, glossy; style base strongly bent. 2n = 71, 72, 73.
