Carex elongata

Plants occur in dense tussocks about 1 m tall and 50 cm in diameter, owing to their short rhizomes and dense production of shoots. Each trigonous stem is up to 80 cm long and rough with upward-pointing teeth on the edges. Leaves are up to 90 cm long and 5 mm wide, tapering to a fine point. The ligule, which is important for identification, is 8 mm long and sharply pointed. The inflorescence consists of up to 18 golden-tinged spikes which are fairly tightly spaced at the top of the stem. Fruits (utricles) are 4 mm long, with dark ribs, and have 2 stigmas.^[3] The diploid chromosome number (2n) = 56.^[4]

This is a plant of flooded woodland, in Britain it is typically found in W5 alder carr,^[5] which typically occurs in river valleys and old peat bogs.^[6] It is thought that the seeds germinate on dead wood, which floats on the surface of the water, and thereby avoids inundation at the vulnerable seedling stage.^[7] In England, it used to grow on the rotten pilings of old canals, in similar conditions. It can also be found in W2 grey willow carr and W6 crack willow woodland.^[3]