The erect plant typically grows to one to two feet tall, in ditches, swamps, marshes, and other wetlands. L izard's-tail has a bottlebrush spike of white flowers . It is typically six to eight inches long but can be longer. The flower spike arches above the leaves of the plant. After maturity, the flowers become a string of nutlets that resemble a lizard's tail.
Leaf stalks form clasps where they join the stem.
T he soft-stem bulrush , like other Scirpus species, is an emersed sedge. It can grow into large colonies in the mud or in water several feet deep in marshes, lakes, and streams. S oft-stem bulrush grows to ten feet tall. Its stems grow close together, and are much thicker at the bases than at the tops. The stems are spongy.