Low, grass-like plant, a foot or two tall. Stems triangular in cross-section, hairless. Long grass-like leaves alternate on the stems. Usually two inflorescences, one along the side of the stem, one at the top, but overtopped by leaves. The top inflorescence (pictures at right and below center) consists of 1, or usually two or three clusters (spikelets) of female flowers and one spikelet of male flowers. The lower inflorescence contains only female spikelets. Female flowers (left below) are onion-shaped with a pointed tip bearing two pollen-catching stigmas. They are green, turning yellow-brown as they develop into fruit. Each female flower sits on a tiny leaf-like scale, as seen in the pictures. The male flowers are reduced to brown, pollen-bearing anthers (right below and in middle of picture at right).

A native plant of wet meadows over limestone. Locally common in Wildwood in places that meet those requirements.

Sedges are hard to identify, but a sedge with spikelets as described, in a wet, rocky area is very likely to be this species.