E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial, densely tufted herb from short rhizomes, without stolons; 5-50 cm tall.

Leaves:
Flat, fringed with fine hairs, 3-15 cm long and 3-6 mm wide; sheaths green.

Flowers:
Inflorescence with about 5 to 15, stalked clusters, the clusters dense up to the base without remote basal flowers, each with 6 to 14 flowers; perianth segments pale green to dark brown, 2.5-4 mm long, lanceolate to egg-shaped, pointed or short-awned, the inner about the same length as the outer; styles slightly shorter to longer than the ovaries; stamens 6; anthers 0.6-1.2 mm long, longer than the filaments; bractlets scarcely fringed with a few hairs, less than 1/2 the length of the perianth segments; lower bract leaflike, well-developed, surpassing inflorescence or shorter.

Fruits:
Capsules, egg-shaped, the tops blunt or pointed, shorter than or longer than the perianth segments; seeds spindle-shaped, 0.8-1.2 mm long, with short appendages.

Notes:
This is a variable species with two subspecies in BC:

1. Outer perianth segments pointed, inner perianth segments blunt or with short, abruptly-pointed awns; capsules pointed, longer than the perianth segments; styles 0.3-0.5 mm long; alpine zone, northern BC....................... ssp. frigida (Buch.) Krecz.

1. All perianth segments equal in shape, slenderly pointed; capsules with blunt tops, shorter than the perianth; styles 0.5-0.8 mm long; lowland or montane zones......................... ssp. multiflora