Plants cespitose, stout-rhizomatous. Culms brown or red-brown at base, smooth distally. Leaves: basal sheaths not fibrous; sheath fronts membranous; blades M-shaped in cross section when young, with 2 lateral veins on adaxial surface more prominent than midvein, not more than 8 mm wide, pubescent. Inflorescences simple, with 3–4 spikes; proximal bracts leaflike, sheathing not more than 5 mm, longer than diameter of stem; lateral spikes pistillate, pedunculate, prophyllate; terminal spike staminate. Proximal pistillate scales with apex acute or cuspidate, midvein not protruding from scale by more than 0.2 mm. Perigynia ascending or spreading, veined, ovate or obovate, trigonous in cross section, 3.7–5.5 mm, base ± rounded, apex tapering and abruptly beaked, glabrous; beak 0.25–1 mm, minutely bidentate, teeth less than 0.5 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes trigonous, almost as large as bodies of perigynia; style deciduous.
Distribution
w North America, Mexico.
Discussion
Species 4 (1 in the flora).
Selected References
None.