This perennial species of cotton sedge is found mostly in northeastern North America and British Columbia in Canada. It belongs to the sedge family. It is a wetland plant that grows in bogs, swamps, and wet meadows. The bristles of this species are yellow-brown. Most other cotton sedges of this genus have white bristles.

Like most sedges, the stems are triangular in cross-section. The plant can grow over 3 feet in height. The flowers are born at the tip of the stem, in dense, head-like tufts consisting of multi-flowered spikelets. The fruit is a seed-like achene, surrounded by hairs and scales. The leaves are narrow and flat with rough margins.

It can spread by seed or by horizontal growth of the rootstock. Historically the tawny cottonsedge is found in most of the counties of the state.