Carex exserta Mackenzie

Culms round to round-trigonous, 5–26 cm. Leaf blades 6–25 cm, 0.3–0.5 mm wide near base. Spike 7–20 × 3.5–6 mm, staminate portion 4–12 mm. Longest pistillate scales 2.2–3.3(–4) × 1.8–2.5(–4) mm, often shorter than perigynia. Perigynia obovate or elliptic, (1.9–)2.1–2.6(–3) × 1.3–1.7(–1.9) mm, sometimes ruptured by achene; beak 0–0.2(–0.3) mm. Achenes 1.5–2.3 × (1.1–)1.3–1.5 mm.

Fruiting spring–summer. Meadows, treeless stony plains; 1500–3800 m; Calif., Nev., Oreg.