Eleocharis gracilis

Slender perennial with short creeping rhizome. Culms tufted or solitary on rhizome, terete to flattened, grooved, to 20(–50) cm high, to 1 mm diam. Spikelet ovoid to oblong, 5–9(–12) mm long, 2–4 mm diam.; glumes obtuse to acute, obtusely keeled, sides membranous, tinged red-brown, 3.3–3.6 mm long; hypogynous bristles 5–6, flattened, pale brown, finely and retrorsely toothed, usually much exceeding the style-base but sometimes only as long as nut; stamens 3; anthers 1.0–2.2 mm long; style 3-fid. Nut ± equally trigonous, with angles ± acute, obovoid, golden brown, somewhat shining, 1–1.5 mm long, 0.8–1 mm diam.; external cells minute, shortly vertically oblong or almost isodiametric; style-base from one-third to one-half as long as and one-half to two-thirds as wide as nut. Flowers spring–summer.