General:
Perennial, tufted herb from fibrous roots; stems nearly circular in cross-section, tapered, 80-150 cm tall.

Leaves:
Several, both stem and basal; blades elongate, flat, grass-like, 2-6 mm wide.

Flowers:
Spikes numerous, terminal, 3-8 mm long, egg-shaped to cylindrical, shortly slender-stalked in compound, terminal, sometimes condensed clusters, the branches ascending from the base, more or less spreading above, the ultimate branchlets also with one to several, unstalked spikes; involucral bracts several, conspicuous, leaflike, unequal, sheathless, blackish at the base, spreading, usually drooping at the tips, the largest rarely less than 10 cm long.

Fruits:
Scales numerous, pale to often blackish or blackish-green with fine, red-brown parallel lines, about 1.5 mm long, smooth, egg-shaped, short awn-tipped to blunt; perianth bristles 6, well-developed, slender, flexuous, tawny, much surpassing the scales and achenes (especially in fruit, then the spike appearing short-woolly); stigmas 3; achenes compressed, 3-angled, pale, yellowish-grey to nearly white, 0.7-1 mm long, abruptly sharp-pointed.

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.