Varieties: The culms of Carex pilulifera grow to a length of 8–30 centimetres (3–12 in), and are often noticeably curved.

[4] Carex pilulifera has a wide distribution in Europe, extending from Macaronesia and the Balkan Peninsula to Scandinavia.

[5] The seeds are then dispersed by ants, particularly Myrmica ruginodis,[5] in a process known as myrmecochory, and are eaten by other insects, such as the ground beetle Harpalus fuliginosus.

[5] Carex pilulifera was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum, which marks the starting point of botanical nomenclature.

[1] The specific epithet pilulifera means "bearing small globular structures", in reference to the female spikes.