Plants colonial, long-rhizomatous, vegetative shoots widely scattered and inconspicuous from deep rhizomes. Culms 15-65 cm, smooth to scabrous distally. Leaves proximal sheaths with blades, brownish or purple-tinged, slender, 1.3-3.2 mm diam.; ligules (0.6-)1-6 mm, (0.8-)1-2 times longer than wide; leaf blades green, flat, 3-20 cm × 1.5-5 mm, herbaceous. Inflorescences 4-32 cm, 0.9-1.6 times as long as proximal bract; proximal bracts 4-22 cm, sheaths 0.5-5 cm, blades 3.5-17 cm; pistillate spikes ovoid to linear-cylindric, 6-40 × 3-5.8 mm; lateral spikes erect or ascending on stiff peduncles. Pistillate scales brown or purple tinged, apex awned or obtuse. Perigynia ascending to spreading, green, 2.5-4 × 1-2.2 mm, minutely papillose; beak minute, bent. Achenes light to dark brown, 1.8-3 × 1.2-1.6(-1.8) mm. Fruiting late spring-early summer. Calcareous fens, bogs, and swales; 20-1000 m; Man., Ont., Sask.; Conn., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., N.J., N.Y., N.Dak., Ohio, Pa., S.Dak., Va., W.Va., Wis. See notes under 257. Carex meadii.