General: Perennial herb from short, stout, often ascending or nearly vertical rhizomes; stems clustered, more or less flattened, at least near the tops, some of them elongating, arching, then rooting from apical bulbils, (2) 40-100 cm tall.
Leaves: Blades lacking.
Flowers: Spikes solitary, terminal, spindle-shaped, (5) 8-13 mm long, (5) 10- to 20- (25-) flowered.
Fruits: Scales firm, egg-shaped, blunt, or the upper sharp-pointed, with translucent margins, equalling or surpassing the achenes; perianth bristles about equalling the achenes, with sharp teeth directed backwards; stigmas 3; achenes egg-shaped, rounded and 3-angled to plano-convex, light greenish to medium brown, smooth and shining or slightly cellular roughened, 1.9-2.8 mm long including the prominent, pale, nosecone-like tubercles, which are up to 0.75 mm long and do not form distinct apical caps on the achenes.
Salt marshes, hot springs and alkaline or saline ponds in the lowland and steppe zones; rare in S BC; disjunct E to ON and NS and S to MA, NJ, FL, TX, NM, AZ and CA; S America.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
