Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Perennials with short rhizomes.

Stems: Culms densely tufted, 20–60 cm tall, 0.7–1 mm in diameter near base, trigonous, smooth.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. 3-ranked. Blades linear, usually longer than the culm, 2–6 mm wide. Apex gradually tapering and long-acuminate. Margins scabrous. Sheathing, basal sheaths brown to dusky brown, the lower few subaphyllous. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in spikes yellowish green, linear, (4.5–)8–13(–21) cm long, 2.5–4.5 mm wide, laxly to moderately densely flowered, the staminate part 1–3 cm long; pistillate glumes pale yellowish brown, membranous, oblong–elliptic to lanceolate, (3.5–)4.2–6(–8) mm long, 1–1.2(–1.5) mm wide, the midnerve green, apex acute; perigynium olive green, membranous, erect, lanceoloid to lanceoloid–ellipsoid, weakly obcompressed, trigonous, longer or shorter than the subtending glume, 4–5.4 mm long, 1–1.2 mm wide, 2–nerved, glabrous, base cuneate–stipitate, gradually narrowed to a subulate-conical beak, the orifice obliquely truncate; rachilla 7–9 mm long, exerted from the perigynium 3.5–5 mm, the apical hook 1.5–2.5 mm long. Flowers unisexual. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens 3. Ovary superior.

Fruit: Achenes brownish gray; oblong–obovoid; trigonous; 2.3–2.5 mm long. Seeds 1; seed coat thin; free from pericarp; embryo basal; endosperm abundant.

Ploidy: 2n = 88

Habitat: Occurring in wet forest; occasionally in bogs.

Elevation Range: 1,040–2100 m.