Plants cespitose. Culms angled, 25–75 cm, glabrous. Leaves: basal sheaths red-brown; sheaths of proximal leaves glabrous, fronts lacking spots and veins, entire, apex truncate; blades 3–5 mm wide. Inflorescences: proximal bract subequal to inflorescence, 1–3 mm wide. Spikes erect or the proximal pendent; proximal 3–4 spikes pistillate, usually sessile, 2.5–9 cm × 4–5 mm, base attenuate; terminal 1–2 spikes staminate. Pistillate scales purple-brown to black, shorter than perigynia, apex acute, awnless. Perigynia divergent, green, veinless, somewhat flattened, tightly enclosing and distended by the achenes, ovoid, 2.3–4.7 × 1.1–1.8 mm, dull, apex acute, glabrous; beak green, often twisted, 0.1–0.3 mm, orifice oblique. Achenes not constricted, dull. 2n = 66.
