General:
Perennial, tufted herb from short, fibrous roots; stems 50-110 cm tall, longer than the leaves.

Leaves:
Sheaths loose, 2-lobed at the tips; ligules 0.8-2.5 cm long; blades 3 to 5 per stem, channeled, borne on the lower 1/2 of stem, 6-15 mm wide, the lower ones reduced.

Flowers:
Spikes 3 to 5, remote, 1-4 cm long, borne on upper 1/2 of the stem, long-stalked, erect to spreading, the terminal one linear, 1.5-3 cm long, with male flowers, the lower 2 to 4 spikes narrowly cylindrical, 1-4 cm long, with female flowers; bracts subtending the female spikes long-sheathing, leaflike, up to 15 cm long, longer than the spikes.

Fruits:
Perigynia broadly lanceolate to narrowly egg-shaped, 4-6.5 mm long, 1.2-2 mm wide, few, green, slightly inflated, smooth, shiny, many-nerved, prominently keeled, spreading or ascending, short-stalked, tapered to both ends, the beaks poorly defined; female scales broadly egg-shaped, much shorter than the perigynia, reddish-brown, the centres 3-nerved, pale green, the margins white-translucent, the tips round to pointed; stigmas 3; achenes 3-angled, 2.7-3.2 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

Flower Colour:
Green

Blooming Period:
Late Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer

Source:  The USDA