C. DESCRIPTION 



1. GENERAL NONTECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Idaho sedge 

 forms small clumps that arise from short rhizomes. 

 The stems are 20-35 cm (8-14 in) high with most 

 leaves crowded near the base. Leaves are flat and 

 2-4 mm wide. Flowers are clustered in 3 (usually) 

 oblong-cylindrical spikes, 1-3 cm (0.5-1 in) long, 

 with the uppermost larger than the others. Male 

 flowers are absent or scattered among the female 

 flowers (perigynia) on the largest spike. Spikes 

 form a narrow, interrupted head, subtended by 

 small leaf -like bracts, at the top of the stems. 

 The narrowly oval scales subtending each perigynia 

 taper to the tip and are 2-3 times longer than the 

 perigynia. These scales are brown with membranous 

 margins and a distinct pale center. Glabrous, 

 egg-shaped perigynia are yellow-green and ca. 3 mm 

 long with a short beak. There are 3 stigmas and 

 the seed is 3-sided. Photographs of C. parryana 

 ssp. parryana and ssp. idahoa are provided in 

 Appendix A. 



2. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: loosely cespitose from 

 prolonged, scaly, horizontal rootstocks; culms 2- 

 3.5 dm high, much exceeding the leaves, somewhat 

 fibrillose and reddish-brown tinged at the base, 

 the dried leaves of the previous year conspicuous; 

 leaves 5-10, clustered near the base, the thin 

 blades flat but with more-or-less revolute 

 margins, 2-4 mm wide, long-attenuate, the 

 ventrally very thin hyaline sheaths concave at the 

 mouth, the ligule about as wide as long; spikes 

 usually 3, often all pistillate, linear oblong to 

 cylindric, erect on short, stiff and scabrous 

 peduncles, approximate, forming a narrow head 3.5- 

 5 cm long, the terminal spike 2-3 cm long, 6-8 mm 

 wide, the lateral 1-2 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, the 

 numerous perigynia appressed-ascending; bracts 

 sheathless, usually not over 1 cm long and much 

 shorter than the spikes; pistillate scales ovate 

 to ovate lanceolate, long-acute to acuminate, 

 brown with a conspicuous lighter center and very 

 narrow hyaline margins, wider and 2-3 times as 

 long as the perigynia; perigynia obovoid, obtusely 

 trigonous, somewhat flattened on one side, 3 mm 

 long, 1.5 mm wide, glabrous, puncticulate, two- 

 ribbed but otherwise nerveless or essentially so, 

 substipitate, yellowish-green, rounded and 

 abruptly short-beaked at the apex, the beak 

 brownish-red, 0.5 mm long, emarginate or shallowly 

 bidentate; achenes obovoid, 2 X 1.25 mm, trigonous 



