General:
Perennial, somewhat tufted herb from short rhizomes; stems 25-40 cm tall, bluntly triangular and rough below the inflorescence, longer than the leaves.

Leaves:
Sheaths tight; blades numerous, borne on the lower part of the stem, bluish-green, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, flat.

Flowers:
Spikes 4 to 6 in a 1-3 cm long, dense head, occasionally with a few spikes separate below, egg-shaped, many-flowered, 3-7 mm long, ascending, with both female and male flowers, the female flowers towards the tips, the male flowers inconspicuous; lowermost bract awnlike, about 0.5-2 cm long.

Fruits:
Perigynia egg-shaped, 2.5-3 mm long, 0.8-1 mm wide, green, dark green or brownish, minutely whitish-dotted, plano-convex, smooth, nerved, especially above, unstalked, the beaks about 0.5 mm long, bidentate; female scales egg-shaped, covering most of the perigynia, pointed, yellow-brown to reddish-brown, with green midribs; stigmas 2; achenes lens-shaped, 1.4-1.7 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 heleonastes subsp. heleonastes L. f.