  The flower spike forms the top 6 to 10 inches of a stiff rush-like stem which rises from a sheath of long, narrow, flat leaves to a total height of about 4 feet, the leaves rising slightly higher than the stem. The top 3 or 4 inches of the flower spike is composed of numerous male flowers producing only pollen and early dropping off to leave a bare, rather sharp, stem tip; the lower 4 or 5 inches of the flower spike is composed of thousands of female flowers packed so tightly together as to give the appearance of a smooth, rich-brown cylinder, more than an inch in diameter, which finally breaks up into fluffy seeds. Forms solid colonies in marshy places in plains, foothills and lower montane zones. Blooms first appear about July, and become mature in September-October. The Museum {uncaptioned}
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