This occurs mostly in the Great Plains and Midwest, with extension to southern New England. It has been confused with stricta, but has distinct cytology (2n = 72 versus mostly 68), morphology and habitats. It occurs in calcareous seeps and marshy shoals along streams and (especially in Ky.) rivers with relatively base-rich substrate (F, FNA 23). It tends to occur on the wetter downstream side (or back side) of cobble bars, where scouring is less intense. A large patch discovered in 1986 along Benson Creek (FRAN) appears to have been scoured out and lost after intense flooding during 1990-2010. Compared to typical stricta, emoryi has a stoloniferous habit, forming extensive colonies (versus large dense stools). Its bladeless lower sheaths are not ladder-fibrillose and lack evident veins on the inner side (versus prominently fibrillose); they are often deeper purplish-red but lack spots on the inner side (versus spotted red-brown); and they have a prolonged convex apex (versus obtuse), forming sharp dormant shoots. Its ligules are as long as broad (versus longer). Its pistillate spikes are strongly overlapping (versus more widely separated) and lack staminate tips (versus often staminate); perigynia are green-stramineous (versus pale brown-tawny). Differences in spikes and perigynia are less clearcut than the vegetative characters.