General: Perennial herb from elongated rhizomes, the rhizomes swollen at the nodes; stems arising singly, erect, 40-85 cm tall.
Leaves: Located on the lower part of the stem, nearly circular in cross-section, tapered, the early leaves stiff, with prominent complete cross-walls; sheaths open with short, rounded, ear-shaped lobes.
Flowers: Inflorescence terminal, congested, of 3- to many-flowered, globe-shaped heads that are 1-1.5 cm wide when pressed; perianth segments greenish-brown to tawny, 4.5-5 mm long, pointed, the inner slightly shorter than the outer; stamens 6; anthers 0.7-1 mm long, shorter than the filaments; involucral bracts usually exceeding the inflorescence.
Fruits: Capsules, narrowly three-angled, conical, tapered into long tips, about as long as the perianth segments or slightly longer; seeds barrel-like, about 0.4 mm long, lacking tail-like appendages.
Moist riverbanks and lakeshores in the steppe zone; infrequent in S BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; E to PQ and NS and S to ME, MA, PA, NC, GA, MS, TX, NM, AZ and CA.
