Plants perennial, cespitose, (10–) 20–80 cm, base thickened, not bulbous; rhizomes absent. Leaves nearly distichous, spreading to ascending, 1/2 length of culms; sheaths distally ciliate, backs mostly glabrous; ligule line of short hairs; blades narrowly linear, 2–3 mm wide, flat to broadly involute, scabridciliate, adaxially smooth or hirtellous. Inflorescences: anthelae compound, dense or open, ascending-branched, longer than broad; scapes slender, 1 mm wide, slightly compressed distally; proximalmost involucral bract exceeding anthela. Spikelets pale drab brown to chestnut brown, ovoid-lanceoloid, 4–8 mm; fertile scales broadly oblong or ovate, 2 mm, acute to obtuse angled, glabrous, midrib reaching scale tip or excurrent, finely mucronate. Flowers: stamens 1–2; styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriate. Achenes white to brownish, lenticular, obovoid, 1–1.2 mm, cancellate, each face longitudinally with (5–)10–12 ribs, connected by vertical rows of horizontally rectangular pits. 2n = 20, 30.
