Montana Field Guide

Rhizomatous. Stems erect, 25–80 cm. Leaves: basal bladeless; cauline blades 1–3 mm wide. Inflorescence of 2 to 5 short-pedunculate, erect, barely overlapping spikes; lowest bract ca. as long as the inflorescence. Spikes 1–2 cm long; uppermost bisexual with male flowers below; otherwise all female. Perigynia ascending to spreading, green, pappilose, elliptic, 3–4.5 mm long, beakless, somewhat inflated; stigmas 3. Female scales narrowly lanceolate, brown with a pale midvein, awned, as long but narrower than the perigynia. Achene 3-sided, smaller than the perigynium (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Uppermost spike (at least usually) both pistillate and staminate (the similar C. limosa spike is entirely staminate); strongly bicolored pistillate scales; spikes sessile or with short pedicel; glaucous foliage. Within Section Atratae: pistillate spikes mostly sessile or nearly so (C. atratiformis has the pistillate spikes on slender peduncles 1-4 cm); stems of the season aphyllopodic, not surrounded by dried sheaths of previous years (although these may be present on old stems), perigynia densely and conspicuously papillate (C. norvegica and C. parryana have stems of the season phyllopodic or somewhat aphyllopodic, surrounded by the dried sheaths of previous years, perigynia not notable papillate) (Gleason and Cronquist 1991).

Fens, wet meadows; valleys, montane (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).