This sedge produces angled, hairless stems up to one meter tall or slightly taller, but not in clumps.

The tough leaves are narrow with shredding, red-spotted or purple basal sheaths.

The fruits are covered in a sac called a perigynium which is light to dark brown and sometimes red-spotted, leathery and tough, and sometimes with a toothed, hairy tip.

[1] Santa Barbara sedge is native to the western United States, in California and Oregon.

Parts of this sedge were used in basketry and as sewing fiber by California Native American groups such as the Maidu and Pomo.