Rhizomatous. Stems erect, 8–70 cm. Leaves basal and/or cauline; blades 2–6 mm wide. Inflorescence of 3 to 5 overlapping spikes; the lowest bract shorter than the inflorescence. Spikes ascending to erect; the uppermost male; the lower female, subsessile to short-pedunculate, 8–25 mm long, cylindric. Perigynia erect, green to tan, brown above, lanceolate to suborbicular, veinless, glabrous, papillose, 2–3 mm long with a minute beak. Female scales acute to rounded, almost completely blackish, narrower and subequal to the perigynia. Achene 2-sided, smaller than the perigynium
(Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Our plants are varieties
bracteosa (L.H. Bailey) F.J. Herm. and
prionophylla (T.
Holm) L.A. Standl.