General:
Perennial, loosely tufted herb from short, branching rhizomes, the roots soft-hairy; stems 10-70 cm tall, as long as or longer than the leaves, reddish-tinged at the bases.

Leaves:
Sheaths tight; blades 2 to 5 per stem, flat with slightly rolled-under margins, borne on lower 1/2 of stem, 2-5 mm wide, lower ones much reduced.

Flowers:
Spikes 3 to 5, the terminal one linear, 15-25 mm long, with male flowers, the lower spikes 2 to 4, with female flowers, cylindrical, 1-3 cm long, 6-8 mm wide, separate, long-stalked, ascending, the lower one nodding; bracts subtending the lowest spike leaflike, sheathless or short-sheathing, shorter or longer than the inflorescence, the others reduced.

Fruits:
Perigynia narrowly egg-shaped, 3.3-5.5 mm long, 1-2.5 mm wide, usually light green, 10- to 15-nerved, short-stalked, beakless to short-beaked, 0.1-0.2 mm long; female scales egg-shaped, rounded, long-awned, the awns 3-5 mm long, as wide as and shorter or sometimes longer than the perigynia, black to dark brown, with lighter, green centres and translucent margins; stigmas 3; achenes 3-angled, stalked, smooth, 1.7-2.3 mm long.

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