Plants perennial, cespitose, 30-120 cm; rhizomes absent. Culms arching, leafy, drooping tipped, ± terete, ribbed, slender. Principal leaves exceeded by culm; blades spreading to ascending, narrowly linear, proximally flat, 2-3.5 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering. Inflorescences: clusters of spikelets 3-6, progressively wider-spaced proximally, narrow, elongate; leafy bracts slender, mostly exceeding clusters. Spikelets red brown, lanceoloid, 5-7 mm, apex acuminate; fertile scales narrowly ovate, 4-5 mm, apex acuminate, midrib included or short excurrent. Flowers: perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate. Fruits (1-)2-3(-4) per spikelet, 3-3.2 mm; body brown, narrowly oblong-ellipsoid, flattened, 2 × 0.8-1 mm; surface strongly transversely wavy rugose, vertically finely striate between ridges; tubercle compressed, narrowly triangular-subulate, 1 mm. Fruiting summer-fall. Sands, peats, clays, and silts of moist meadows, shores of ponds, flatwoods, disturbed low areas; 0-300 m; Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tex., Va.