Rhizomes 1-2 mm thick, longer internodes 5-10 mm, scales sometimes decaying to fibers. Culms sharply 4-(5-6)-angled, often deeply sulcate and thus 'winged,' to 0.8 mm wide. Leaves: distal leaf sheaths usually with stout apical tooth 0.4-0.6(-0.9) mm. Achenes usually lemon yellow to dark yellow, nearly equilaterally trigonous, usually cancellate at 10X, with 10-14 obscure to clearly evident depressions in each vertical series. Tubercles mostly greatly depressed, much lower than wide. 2n = 38, 39.

Fruiting spring (Mar-Apr.) in South, early summer (Jun-Jul) in North. Wet, fresh, often calcareous meadows, swales, springy places, woods, prairie, serpentine barrens, ditches; 10-300 m; N.S., Que.; Conn., Del., D.C., Ga., Ind., Ky., La., Md., Miss., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Pa., Tenn., Vt., Va.

I have not seen voucher specimens for the chromosome count by L. J. Harms (1972) for Eleocharis elliptica var. pseudoptera.