Herbs, annual or perennial, cespitose, slender. Culms to 40 cm, wiry. Leaves ¼-1/2 length of culms; sheaths stramineous to tan or brown, glabrous or scabrid on ribs; blades spreading to ascending, filiform, 0.5 mm wide, involute, margin glabrous or scabrid, abaxially glabrous or hirtellous. Inflorescences terminal, in simple or compound anthelae; scapes wiry, coarsely ribbed, glabrous or strumose-puberulent; longer primary involucral bracts with setaceous blades exceeding or exceeded by inflorescence. Spikelets red-brown to dark brown, lanceoloid to cylindric, longer than wide, 2-6 mm; fertile scales broadly ovate, keeled, 1-1.3 mm, apex acute, abaxially puberulent, midrib included or excurrent as mucro. Flowers: stamens 2-3; anthers narrowly oblong, 0.8-1 mm. Achenes mostly waxy gray, trigonous, obovoid, 0.8-1.5 mm, faces evenly papillate, finely rugulose or level; tubercle a small, dark, compressed-conic button.