General:
Perennial, somewhat tufted herb from elongate fibrous roots; stems 20-60 cm tall, sharply triangular and rough below the inflorescence, about as long as the leaves.

Leaves:
Sheaths tight; blades numerous, borne on the lower part of the stem, 2-3 mm wide, flat.

Flowers:
Spikes 5 to 10 in a dense head 1.5-3.5 cm long (with 1 to 3 spikes separated below the head), egg-shaped, many-flowered, about 5 mm long, ascending, with both female and male flowers, the female flowers towards the tips, the male flowers inconspicuous; bracts reduced, only the lowermost bract sometimes awnlike, about 0.5-2 cm long.

Fruits:
Perigynia elliptical, 2.2-2.5 mm long, 0.8-1.5 mm wide, light brown, minutely whitish-dotted, plano-convex, smooth, several-nerved, especially above, unstalked, the beaks short, 0.25 mm long, smooth, not cleft; female scales egg-shaped, almost covering the perigynia, pointed, green, with green midribs; stigmas 2; achenes lens-shaped, 1.2-1.7 mm long, filling the perigynia.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Carex canescens subsp. arctiformis (Mack.) Calder & Roy L. Taylor