General:
Perennial, densely tufted herb from short fibrous roots; stems 5-15 cm tall, longer than the leaves.

Leaves:
Sheaths straw-coloured to purplish-brown; blades 3 to 8 per stem, flat, channelled above, borne on the lower 1/2 of the stem, 0.7-1 mm wide, the lower ones reduced.

Flowers:
Spikes 2 to 4, the terminal one unstalked, linear, 2-6 mm long, with male flowers, the lower spikes 1 to 3, not much separated, cylindrical, 2-5 mm long, with female flowers, unstalked or short-stalked, the stalks 1-2 mm long; bracts subtending the female spikes inconspicuous, scalelike, round-tipped or prolonged into awns up to 15 mm long, shorter than the inflorescence, the sheaths short, tubular, the upper bracts shorter.

Fruits:
Perigynia egg-shaped to lanceolate, 2-2.5 mm long, 0.8-1 mm wide, yellowish-green to straw-coloured, ascending to spreading, smooth, cylindrical, the beaks short, 0.3-0.5 mm long, translucent; female scales egg-shaped to elliptical, round-tipped to pointed, about as long as the perigynia, brownish, with greenish to straw-coloured midribs and translucent margins; stigmas 3; achenes 3-angled, pointed, 1.5-2 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

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Carex glacialis var. glacialis