Plants densely cespitose; longer rhizomes internodes 0.2-6 mm, 1.2-2.2 mm thick. Culms purple-red to (3.2-)4.1-7.4 cm at base, 11-41 cm; vegetative shoots 26-42 cm, 0.72-1.3 as long as culms. Leaves: deep green or proximal ones whitish proximally, widest blades of culms (3.7-)4.3-5.5 mm wide. Inflorescences: 8.8-36 cm, 0.68-0.95 of culm height; internodes between proximal scales in proximalmost spike 2.4-3 mm; internodes between distal lateral spikes 1.4-13 cm, longest internode (per plant) between distal lateral spikes 3.1-13 cm; peduncle of terminal spike 1.4-9.8(-14.1) cm, longest peduncle per plant 1.8-9.8(-14.1) cm; proximal bract sheaths tight, hyaline band of adaxial face with apex truncate, concave, or slightly convex, elongate to 1.3 mm beyond apex; ligules 4-4.9(-9.6) mm; blades white between veins proximally; bract blade of distalmost lateral spike usually exceeding or occasionally exceeded by terminal spike; longest bract blade of distalmost lateral spike 4.9-12 cm. Spikes 2-5, widely separate or the distalmost 2 overlapping; lateral spikes pistillate, with (2-)4-7(-11) perigynia, longest per plant with 5-7(-11), 6-21 × 3.2-5.7 mm, ratio of longest lateral spike length (in mm) to perigynia number = 2-2.4; terminal spikes 12-49 × (1.3-)2.1-4 mm, longest per plant (21-)26-49 mm, usually much exceeding distalmost lateral spike. Pistillate scales 2.8-4.8 × 1.6-2.1 mm, body (2-)2.3-2.9 mm, midrib prolonged as awn 0.6-2.8 mm. Staminate scales 4.2-6.5 × 1.6-2.4 mm, apex obtuse or acute, awnless. Perigynia distichously imbricate, ascending, prominently 49-64-veined, narrowly obovate or narrowly elliptic, obtusely trigonous in cross section, (3.7-)4.2-4.9 × 1.6-1.9, 2.3-2.7(-2.9) times as long as wide, 1.6-1.8(-1.9) times as long as achene bodies, base tapered, apex gradually or abruptly tapered; beak absent or straight, 0-0.7(-0.9) mm, 0-17% of perigynium length. Achenes 3.1-3.3 × 1.5-1.8 mm, tightly enveloped by perigynia, base abruptly contracted, apex abruptly contracted; stipe straight, 0.3-0.6 mm; body 2.4-2.7 mm; beak straight, 0.2-0.3 mm.

Fruiting spring. Dry-mesic to mesic deciduous forests, usually in humic, sandy loams; of conservation concern; 40-300 m; Ala., Ga.

Carex acidicola is very rare and local; collections come from only ten populations. It usually occurs in small populations and frequently occurs with C. superata.