Plants densely cespitose. Culms 5-35 cm, distally scabrous. Leaves 2-3 mm wide. Inflorescences: proximal bracts shorter than or exceeding inflorescences; spikes globose or oblong, 4-10 × 3-6 mm; lateral 1-2(-3) spikes pistillate, distant, distinct, erect, short-pedunculate; terminal and distal lateral spikes overlapping, sessile, forming dense terminal cluster; terminal spike gynecandrous. Pistillate scales dark brown or black, margins hyaline, ovate, shorter than or equaling and as broad as perigynia; midvein same color as body, inconspicuous. Perigynia ascending, green becoming dark brown or purple-black, veinless, elliptic or obovate, 2-2.5 × 1.25-1.5 mm, often serrulate distally, apex abruptly beaked, papillose; beak 0.2-0.3 mm, shallowly bidentate, smooth or serrulate. Achenes nearly filling body of perigynia. 2n = 56. Fruiting Jul-Aug. Mossy heath, tundra; 0-1000 m; Greenland; Man., Nfld. and Labr., Nunavut, Ont., Que.; Eurasia. Carex norvegica is an amphi-Atlantic species. Carex norvegica subsp. inserrulata is synonymous with subsp. norvegica in this treatment; however, as some differences can be seen between subsp. inserrulata in Greenland and subsp. norvegica in northern Europe, further study is warranted.