Rare along edges of bogs, along trails, and in open swamps, sometimes appearing after disturbance; in acidic, peaty or sandy soils. Michigan is at the western edge of the range of this uncommon plant. First collected in Michigan by E. G. Voss in 1984 in Luce Co.

A distinctive, stout, broad-leaved (in contrast to its close relatives!) plant with a compact inflorescence. The sheath apices are relatively strongly thickened and less translucent, often more yellowish, than the rest of the sheath; usually much more so than any of its more narrow-leaved relatives.