Plants densely to loosely cespitose; rhizomes horizontally spreading to ascending, brown to reddish brown, 0-10 mm, slender or stout. Culms 2-19 cm, strongly scabrous distally; bases and remnants of old leaves slightly fibrous. Leaf blades pale green, exceeding stems, 1.3-2(-3.5) mm wide, herbaceous to coriaceous, glabrous abaxially, scabrous to papillose adaxially. Inflorescences with both staminate or pistillate spikes; peduncles of basal spikes erect, elongate, slender; peduncles of staminate spikes 1.7-8.5(-21) mm; proximal nonbasal bracts scalelike, usually equaling or shorter than inflorescences, rarely longer. Spikes: proximal pistillate spikes 2-5 (basal spikes 1-3); cauline spikes usually separated, with 1-6 perigynia; staminate spikes 5.7-14.4 × 0.9-2.1 mm. Scales: pistillate scales reddish brown with narrow white margins, ovate, 3.2-6 × 2-2.2 mm, equaling or exceeding perigynia, apex acute to acuminate (short-awned in some basal spikes); staminate scales lanceolate, 4.1-5.1 × 2 mm, apex acute to obtuse. Anthers 2-2.5 mm. Perigynia pale bright green, finely 12-15 veined near base, globose, round in cross section, 3.5-4.8 × 1.7-2.1 mm; beak straight, pale green, not strongly 2-edged, 0.6-1.6 mm, ciliate-serrulate, apical teeth 0.2-0.5 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes brown, globose to obovoid, round in cross section, 1.9-2.4 × 1.6-2 mm. 2n = 28.

Fruiting late Mar-late Jun. Dry, open, sandy or rocky slopes, cliffs, and dunes; 0-90 m; B.C.; Calif., Oreg.