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.
[Illustration: The Museum]
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