General: Perennial, loosely tufted herb from short rhizomes; stems bluish-green, 20-40 cm tall.
Leaves: Mostly basal, flat, sparsely fringed with fine hairs only around the sheaths, about 5-15 cm long, 3-5 mm wide, with sharp tips, shorter than the stems, the stem leaves 3, up to 5 mm wide.
Flowers: Inflorescence loose, open, nodding, with flowers borne singly or in 2-flowered clusters, the stalks arched; perianth segments dark brown with distinct midribs, 1.8-2.3 mm long, lanceolate, pointed, the inner about the same length as the outer; stamens 6; anthers 0.4-0.6 mm long, about as long as or shorter than the filaments; bracts and bractlets strongly fringed with long, curly hairs.
Fruits: Capsules, ellipsoid, pointed, longer than the perianth segments, brown; seeds cylindrical, 1-1.2 mm long, lacking appendages.
Moist meadows, shrubby slopes, streambanks and thickets in the subalpine and alpine zones; frequent throughout BC in and E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; amphiberingian, N to AK and YT, E to AB and S to CO and N CA; E Asia.
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)
