Culms aphyllopodic, without dead leaf remains at base, 20-90 cm. Leaf blades 2-5 mm wide, margins revolute, scabrid at tip. Inflo-rescences: proximal bracts 2-7 cm, shorter than inflorescences; lateral spikes usually androg-ynous, (10-)25-50 × 3.5-6 mm, with 20-80 perigynia; terminal spikes 20-50 × 2.5-5 mm. Pistillate scales ovate, 2.4-4 × 1.3-1.8 mm, shorter and as wide as or slightly narrower than perigynia, apex obtuse to acute. Staminate scales oblong-obovate, 3.7-4.5 × 1.2-2 mm, apex obtuse. Anthers 2.6-2.9 mm. Perigynia 2.5-3.5 × 1.2-2 mm, apex rounded; beak 0.1-0.5 mm. Fruiting late spring-early summer. Bogs, swamps, wet woods, primarily on acidic substrata; 0-500 m; Ala., Conn., Del., Md., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Pa., S.C., Tenn., Va. Carex barrattii is in the Center for Plant Conservation´s National Collection of Endangered Plants.