Densely caespitose, tufts rigid, stout, robust; rhizomes short and ascending. Leaves 200-610 × 4-8.5 mm, rigid, erect, channelled, green; margin minutely scabrid, not or only rarely harsh; keel glabrous. Culms 400-850 × 1- 3 mm, ascending or spreading, rigid, glabrous in lower part, glabrous or weakly scabrid in upper part, trigonous, longer than the leaves when mature; basal sheaths up to 60 mm long, dark brown to black, becoming light brown or straw-coloured when dry, nerves distinct. Spikes 4-8, up to 40 mm long, erect; upper spikes approximate and sessile, lower 1(-2) spikes distant and with short peduncles; spikes subtended by narrow leaf-like bracts; terminal 1(-2) spikes male; female spikes cylindrical, florets densely crowded, sometimes male in distal part, utricles more or less at right-angles to spike at maturity. Glumes 3.3-3.8 × 1.5-2.3 mm, similar length to or shorter than utricles, ovate, elliptic, chestnut brown at base, pale brown above, membranous, persistent, with two lobes at apex, midrib green; awn 0.2-1 mm long, often weakly scabrid, green. Utricles 3.2-4.2 × 1.3-1.9 mm, glabrous, broad-ovoid to ovoid, elliptic or narrow-elliptic, plano-convex or subtrigonous, surface shiny and often slightly rough, pale brown at the base, black above, nerves usually distinct, margins smooth, persistent on spike; beak 0.3-0.5 mm long, sometimes flushed red, entire or with minute crura; stipe 0.3-0.6 mm long. Stigmas 3. Nut 1.1-1.7 × 1.1-1.3 mm, trigonous, broad-ovoid to narrow-ovoid, yellow-brown to light brown, crowned with persistent style base. FL Nov; FT Nov-Sep.

Differt a Carice dallii foliis latioribus, paulo atrovirentibus (non rubentibus), et spicis femineis cylindricis, utriculis aggregatis. Habitat solum in substrato dolomitico.