General: Perennial herb from elongated rhizomes, the rhizomes with swollen nodes; stems arising singly, erect, 20-40 cm tall.
Leaves: Located along the length of the stem, nearly circular in cross-section, tapered, the early leaves stiff, with prominent complete cross-walls; sheaths open, with minute, pointed, ear-shaped lobes.
Flowers: Inflorescence terminal, 3-5 cm long, with (1) 3- to 15-flowered, globe-shaped heads, the heads less than 1 cm wide when pressed, the branches erect; perianth segments greenish-brown to tawny, 3-4 mm long, pointed, the inner about the same length as the outer; stamens 6; anthers 0.6-0.7 mm long, shorter than the filaments; involucral bract longer than inflorescence.
Fruits: Capsules, narrowly three-angled, cone-shaped, pointed, uniformly tapered into short tips, longer than the perianth segments; seeds barrel-like, about 0.4 mm long, lacking tail-like appendages.
Lakeshores and marshes in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent throughout BC, mostly E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF, and S to MA, PA, VA, IN, CO, UT, NV and CA.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
