Plants densely cespitose. Culms 30-70(-110) cm. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, often brownish tinged, summits U- or V-shaped, prolonged to 0-0.5(-1) mm beyond collar; distal ligules 1.5-3 mm; blades (2-)3-4 per fertile culm, 11-40(-50) cm × 1.4-3.5(-4) mm. Inflorescences open or dense, brown or gold, 1.5-3 cm × 8-12 mm; proximal internode 2.5-7 mm; 2d internode 1.5-4.5 mm; proximal bracts bristlelike or leaflike. Spikes 4-8(-9), distant to loosely aggregated, at least proximal 1-3 distinct, narrowly to broadly ovoid, (8-)10-11 × 4-6.5 mm, base acute to attenuate, apex acute to truncate. Pistillate scales gold or red-gold to chestnut-brown, often with green, gold, or whitish midstripe, ovate to broadly ovate, 3.1-3.6(-4.2) mm, less than or equal to perigynia length, width, margin white, 0-0.2(-0.3) mm wide, apex obtuse to acuminate. Perigynia appressed-ascending to ascending, green or straw colored to light brown, often green distally, conspicuously 5-9-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0(-3)-veined adaxially, narrowly to sometimes broadly ovate, plano-convex or biconvex, 3.5-4.5(-5.4) × 1.5-1.9 mm, 0.6-0.7 mm thick, ± leathery, margin flat, including wing 0.15-0.3 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body, sometimes filled with pithlike tissue towards perigynium base, often with metallic sheen; beak brown or gold at tip, cylindric, unwinged, abaxial suture usually inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene 1.5-2.2(-2.8) mm, ± entire for 0.5-1 mm. Achenes elliptic to broadly ovate, (1.5-)1.7-2.1(-2.3) × 1.05-1.45 mm, 0.5-0.65 mm thick.

Fruiting spring-early summer. Meadows, sloughs, moist to wet places, roadsides; 0-600 m; Calif.

Carex gracilior is very similar to and perhaps conspecific with C. subbracteata (R. Whitkus 1988).