Plants cespitose; rhizomes appearing elongate only in old clumps. Culms 25-120 cm; vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, usually fewer than 15 leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped or truncate and reaching to 1.5 mm beyond collar, smooth; distal ligules 1.5-2.8 mm; blades 3-5 per fertile culm, 9-35 cm × 1.7-3.8 mm. Inflorescences congested or somewhat open, green to brown, 1.4-2.7(-3.4) cm × 7-16 mm; proximal internode 3-9 mm; 2d internode 3-8 mm; proximal bracts scalelike, bristle tips shorter than inflorescences. Spikes 2-5, distant, distinct, globose to ovoid, 10-35-flowered, 7-12 × 5-10 mm, base rounded or tapered, apex rounded; terminal spike usually lacking conspicuous staminate base. Pistillate scales yellowish brown, lance-ovate, 2.9-4 mm, 0.7-1.7 mm shorter than perigynium or reaching base or sometimes middle of perignyium beak, margins pale, apex acute or obtuse. Perigynia (10-)15-40(-45) per spike, ascending, light greenish brown to brown with pale margin, conspicuously 6-veined or more abaxially, 4-6-veined adaxially, broadly ovate to orbiculate, plano-convex, 4-5.4 × 2.4-3.4 mm, 0.5-0.6 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.3-0.8 mm wide, smooth; beak pale green or brown at tip, flat, 0.7-1.6(-1.8) mm, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with white or hyaline golden brown margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.7-2.6(-2.9) mm. Achenes broadly ovate to orbiculate, 1.6-2 × 1.4-1.8 mm, 0.5-0.6 mm thick. 2n = 74.

Fruiting early summer. Stream flood plains, bottomlands, stream banks, roadsides; 100-400 m; Ark., Ky., Mo., Okla., Tenn., Va.