Dulichium arundinaceum (Three-way Sedge)
This species is a classic occupant of minerotrophic and relatively high pH wetlands in my region and is my favorite sedge! It generally grows in shallow standing water or on the edges of deeper channels — it definitely likes its feet wet!
The first two pictures are of an individual in fruit, while the last is in flower, believe it or not! (All of the little white floofs are the stamens—pollen bearing parts—of the sedge flowers.)
Non-reproductive individuals are still easily identifiable (rare for sedges!) by the pronounced 3-ranked arrangement of leaves all the way up the main axis, as seen in the second image.
Personal aside: It makes me so happy to see this sedge in the field ^_^ It's simply a gorgeous plant. I will be honest, though, it helps that it is so easy to ID. The scientific name has a wonderful rhythm to it, too, so it's fun to call out during surveys! I get an extra bounce of satisfaction with it, too, since it took me a full calendar year to remember its name for whatever reason.
