Carex nebrascensis produces upright, angled, spongy stems up to about 90 centimeters tall.

The waxy, bluish leaves form tufts around the base of each stem.

The fruit is covered in a tough, slightly inflated sac called a perigynium which sometimes has a pattern of red spotting.

It grows in wetlands[4] at various elevations, including the Sierra Nevada and Mojave Desert sky islands.

[5] Carex nebrascensis tolerates alkaline soils and submersion for long periods of time.