General:
Perennial herb from freely branching rhizomes; stems scattered or in small clusters, slender to very stout, circular in cross-section, tapered or somewhat flattened, 10-100 cm tall.

Leaves:
Sheaths firm, reddish-brown, distinctly oblique, purplish or reddish below, somewhat flaring upwards; blades lacking.

Flowers:
Spikes solitary, terminal, lanceolate or narrowly egg-shaped, 5-23 mm long, light to dark brown or chestnut, several-flowered.

Fruits:
Basal scales 1 or 2 (3), empty, the lowest ones nearly encircling the top of the stem; fertile scales mostly 2-4.5 mm long, egg-shaped, nearly sharp-pointed or blunt, reddish-brown or purplish-brown or purplish-black with translucent margins and lighter coloured midribs; perianth bristles 4, sometimes 5 or 6, shortly surpassing the achenes, rarely reduced or lacking, with fine barbs directed backwards; stigmas 2; achenes lens-shaped, yellow to medium brown, finely cellular roughened, spongy, minutely wrinkled, 1.5-2.5 mm long including the well-differentiated tubercles, the tubercles separated from the achenes by constrictions, pyramidal, bulbous, longer than broad, 0.4-0.7 mm long.

Notes:
This is a highly variable polyploid complex which has yet to be studied adequately.

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:
Brown

Blooming Period:
Late Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Fall to Summer

Source:  The USDA

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Scirpus palustris L.