PLANTS WITH LEAFY, THREE-CORNERED STEMS, AND HEADS WITH A FEW BIG 

 SPIKE LETS grow from knee-high to as tall as a man, usually standing 

 close together in colonies on wet ground or as much as knee-deep in 

 fresh, brackish and alkali water. The sharply three-cornered stems 

 have several long, flattish leaves that are a little wider than the 

 stems. Mature stems are topped with an open or tight head of oval 

 or oblong spikelets that are 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. The ripe 

 seeds are brown and from 1/8 to 3/16 inch long. Stems and foliage of 

 leafy, small-spikeleted bulrushes and a few kinds of carex are similar, 

 but their heads are very different. 



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