Plants densely cespitose; rhizomes ascending, reddish brown to purplish brown, 0-3 mm, stout or absent. Culms 20-60 cm, scabrous distally; bases (remnants of old leaves) slightly or not fibrous. Leaf blades green, 1.8-5 mm wide, widest leaves 3+ mm wide, herbaceous, papillose to scabrous abaxially, papillose to scabrous adaxially. Inflorescences usually with both staminate and pistillate spikes, rarely only pistillate; peduncle of staminate spike 0.7-9.7 mm; proximal nonbasal bracts leaflike, usually shorter than inflorescences. Spikes: proximal pistillate spikes 2-3 (basal spike 0); cauline spikes usually clearly separated, with 3-10 perigynia; staminate spikes 3.1-15.5 × 1-2.5 mm. Scales: pistillate scales pale brown to dark reddish brown, often with broad white margins, ovate to lanceolate, 2.5-4.8 × 1.2-2 mm, shorter than to exceeding perigynia, apex obtuse to acuminate or short-awned; staminate scales elliptic to obovate, 3.1-5.2 × 0.7-2.2 mm, apex obtuse to acuminate or short-aristate. Anthers 1.8-3 mm. Perigynia pale green, veinless, globose to obovoid, 2.7-3.8 × 1.2-2.6 mm, as long as wide; beak usually straight, occasionally slightly bent, pale green, 0.5-2.3 mm, weakly ciliate-serrulate, apical teeth 0.1-0.5 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes pale brown, globose to obovoid, round to obtusely trigonous in cross section, 1.4-2.3 × 1-1.4 mm.