Plants densely cespitose. Culms 14–30 cm. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped; distal ligules (1–)2–2.5 mm; blades 2–5(–8) per fertile culm, usually folded, 10.5–15 × 1–2.5 mm. Inflorescences dense or ± open, gold to brown, 1.4–3 cm × 5–11 mm; proximal internode (2.5–)3.5–6 mm; 2d internode 0.8–3.5 mm; proximal bracts usually bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences. Spikes 4–9, aggregated or distant, individually indistinct or distinct, lanceloid to ovoid, 5–11 × 2.5–6 mm, base and apex acute to attenuate. Pistillate scales gold to red-brown, often with whitish or green to gold midstripe or white tip, ovate to broadly ovate, (3–)3.5–5 mm, usually longer and wider than perignyium bodies, margin white, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex obtuse to acuminate. Perigynia appressed-ascending to ascending, gold or whitish, boat-shaped with wings adaxially incurved, conspicuously (0–)5–10-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0–6-veined adaxially, lanceolate or occasionally ovate, plano-convex, 3.5–4.2 × 1–1.2 mm, 0.4–0.5(–0.6) mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.05–0.2 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body; beak gold to reddish or brown, white-hyaline at tip, cylindric, unwinged, entire for 0.3–0.6 mm, abaxial suture with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.5–2.2 mm, beak tip conspicuous in inflorescences. Achenes ovate to obovate, 1.4–1.8 × 0.7–0.95 mm, 0.35–0.4 mm thick.

Fruiting mid–late summer. Moist meadows; 1500–4100 m; Calif., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.