Plants colonial, long-rhizomatous. Culms 15-60 cm, scabrous to smooth distally. Leaves: proximal sheaths fibrillose, bladeless, purple tinged, 2-6 mm diam.; ligules 2-6 mm, as long as or longer than wide; blades of vegetative culms 10-30(-50) cm; those of fertile culms green, flat or folded, less than 18 cm × 1.5-5.5 mm. Inflorescences 4-19 cm, 1.2-2 times longer than proximal bract; proximal bracts 2-12 cm, sheaths 0.5-3 cm, blades 1.5-10 cm; pistillate spikes occasionally staminate at apex, linear-oblong, 1-3.5(-5) cm × 2.5-7 mm. Pistillate scales purple tinged, apex broadly acute or obtuse, sometimes subapically cuspidate, papillose. Perigynia loosely to densely arranged, 3.4-4.2 mm; beak not flared, 0.5-1 mm. Achenes pale to dark brown, (2-)2.3-2.7 × 1.6-2 mm.

Fruiting early-mid summer. Rare and local in dry meadows, grassy slopes, and prairies; of conservation concern; 0-2100 m; Calif., Idaho, Oreg., Wash.