Longistylis: Answers to key questions in Rushes, Bulrushes & Pondweeds plus the remaining Monocots of Saskatchewan by V. L. Harms, A. L. Leighton, and M. A. Vetter leading to this species. The answers are in the order you would normally work through the key. 

	Tepals not subtended by a pair of bracteoles; flowers borne in tight clusters of 2 -100 (sometimes 1-flowered in J. stygius var. americanus), these clusters (glomerules) subtended by small bracts; leaf  blades septate (in most species) or not.  NOT [Tepals subtended by a pair of floral bracteoles immediately below the flower; flowers borne singly in the inflorescence either +/- evenly distributed or +/- grouped in loose clusters (not in tight clusters, and if grouped in clusters individual flowers and paired floral bracteoles are still visible and not so tightly crowded such that individual flowers cannot be fairly easily identified); leaf blades, if present, not septate.]
	Leaf blades terete or +/-canaliculate or +/- flattened dorsiventrally (not flattened laterally or equitant), usually < 3 mm wide.  NOT [Leaf blades flattened laterally (folded lengthwise), ensiform and equitant, 1.5 - 6 mm wide.]
	Primary bracts distinctly white-scarious and conspicuously inflated at the base, apices narrowly attenuate to caudate; tepals with wide (>= one-third width of tepals) scarious margins; anthers 2 - 3 times longer than filaments; styles 0.6 - 0.9 (1.2) mm long; capsules 3-locular with (0.5) 0.6 - 1.0 (1.1) mm long mucros; leaf blades +/- canaliculate, not septate.  NOT [Primary bracts not distinctly white-scarious, may be somewhat but not broadly inflated at base, apices obtuse to acute; tepals with margins narrower, to one-third width of tepals, indistinct or membranous or scarious; anthers much shorter to 2 times longer than filaments; styles of various lengths; capsules variously locular with mucros to 0.5 mm (0.5 - 0.7 mm in J. castaneus) or gradually tapering into long narrow beaks; leaf blades terete or subterete (laterally flattened to subterete in J. nevadensis) or canaliculate (J. castaneus, which is recorded only from the ne corner of the province), septate or indistinctly septate.]