Montana Field Guide

Caespitose. Stems prostrate to erect, 10–60 cm. Leaves basal and cauline; blades 1–2 mm wide. Inflorescence of 3 to 6 overlapping to clustered spikes; the lowest bract equal to or greater than the inflorescence. Spikes ascending; the uppermost male or bisexual; the lower female, 1–3 cm long, short-pedunculate, cylindric. Perigynia ascending, green, ovate, few-veined, glabrous, 2–3 mm long with an indistinct beak. Female scales rounded, blackish (rarely light tan) with a pale green midstripe, shorter and narrower than the perigynia. Achene 2-sided, nearly filling the perigynium (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Wet or vernally wet, often sparsely vegetated soil around streams, lakes, ponds, fens; valleys to subalpine (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).