This variable species (2n = 33, 38, 40) is widespread across east-central states, but rare to absent on the southeastern Coastal Plain. In Ky. gracilescens is typical of streambanks on acid soils, but there are a few records from calcareous regions and association with base-rich soils is reported from other states (FNA 23, W). It has often been confused with blanda and other species in Laxiflorae (or even Griseae). Compared to blanda (F, Cr, FNA 23, Y), gracilescens has perigynia that tend to be shorter (2.2-3 mm versus 2.5-4.1 mm), but with the beak more prolonged and "often proboscis-like" (versus abruptly contracted, bent and short). Uppermost pistillate spikes are usually solitary (versus often approximate to overlapping), and peduncles of staminate spikes tend to be longer (5-100 mm versus 0-17 mm). Leaf blades tend to be narrower (1-5 mm versus 3-8 mm or 4-12 mm in F) and darker ("green to dark green" versus "dull green to grayish green" in Y or "slightly glaucous" in F). FNA 23 indicated that the most distinctive difference in gracilescens is its "purple or purple-tinged" basal sheaths, in contrast to "brown or light brown" in blanda. Other treatments have described gracilescens sheaths as ranging from "more often purplish when fresh" (F) to "dark reddish purple" (Y); and blanda sheaths as "white to light brown" (Y). Y noted that a potential hybrid has "brown sheath bases and perigynia somewhat intermediate." A. Reznicek (pers. comm.) has indicated that more western plants in general have less purplish bases and deserve deeper taxonomic assessment.