Culms densely tufted, erect, ascending, or, rarely, decumbent, 21-39 cm × 0.7-1 mm. Leaves: basal sheaths reddish purple, lustrous; sheaths 5-40 mm; blades lateral, erect or ascending, green, midrib well developed, especially abaxially, 2 lateral veins developed adaxially, flat to slightly corrugated, 11-29 cm × 0.7-5.2 mm, dead leaves lateral to new clumps, overwintered leaves smooth abaxially. Inflorescences: peduncles of lateral spikes 3-22 mm; of terminal spike (0.9-)1.2-3.2(-5.3) cm. Bracts 0.45-3.75 cm × 1.9-4.8 mm, bract blade of distal lateral spikes linear, narrower than spikes, not concealing them (viewed from abaxial surface), widest bract blade of distalmost lateral spike 0.5-3.4 mm wide. Spikes (3-)4(-5) per culm; lateral spikes 8-35 × 2.8-4 mm; terminal spike linear, 8-21 × 0.9-2.7 mm, usually exceeded by bract blade of distalmost lateral spike, sometimes sharing sheath with distalmost pistillate spike. Pistillate scales 3.6-3.8 × 1.4-1.6 mm, apex acute to aristate or, occasionally, awned, awn to 0.6 mm, serrulate apically. Staminate scales 3.8-4.8 × 0.8-1.2 mm, margins hyaline (rarely slightly purplish tinged). Anthers 2-2.2 mm. Perigynia 2-7 per spike, conspicuously (22-)25-32-veined, oblong-elliptic, 3.4-4.2 × 1.7-2 mm; beak slightly curved, 0.8-1.3 mm. Achenes ovoid, 1.8-2.2 × 1.4-1.8 mm. 2n = 28.

Fruiting spring-early summer. Moist, deciduous or mixed deciduous-evergreen forests; 600-1200 m; Ga., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Va., W.Va.