Segregates defined on the basis of characters such as the number of flowers per spike and distal leaf sheath morphology have been recognized at varietal or subspecific ranks in North America and Europe. In North America, at least, these characters are variable within populations and appear to have no geographic integrity. North American plants of Trichophorum cespitosum appear to be identical to subsp. cespitosum (cf. R. A. DeFilipps 1980). No cytological differences have been detected between European and North American populations; all counted plants have 2n = 104 or n = 52.