套鞘薹草 tao qiao tai cao

Carex hebecarpa C. A. Meyer var. maubertiana (Boott) Franchet.

Rhizome thick and short, ligneous, without stolons. Culms tufted, 60-80 cm tall, slightly slender, stiff, obtusely trigonous, with brown and bladeless sheaths at base. Leaves rather dense, upper leaves longer than culm, lower ones rather short, blades 5-6 mm wide, revolute on margins, with transverse septate nodes between veins on abaxial surface; sheaths rather long, overlapping, purple-red and ligulate at sheath mouth. Involucral bracts leaflike, longer than inflorescence, sheathed. Spikes 6-9, upper spikes approximate, lower spikes rather remote; terminal spike male, narrowly cylindric, 2-3 cm, shortly pedunculate; lateral spikes female, cylindric, 2-3 cm, densely many flowered, shortly pedunculate. Female glumes pale yellow, shortly ferruginous striate, broadly ovate, ca. 1.8 mm, membranous, green 1-veined, apex acute. Utricles yellowish green, shortly ferruginous striate, suberect, longer than glume, broadly obovate, obtusely trigonous, ca. 3 mm, membranous, densely white hispidulous, distinctly 2-veined laterally, base abruptly narrowed to a short stipe, apex abruptly narrowed to a rather short beak, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets tightly enveloped in utricle, broadly elliptic, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, base abruptly narrowed to a short stipe, apex acute; style short, base slightly thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.

Forests on mountain slopes, wet places at roadsides; 400-1000 m. Fujian, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [NE and S India, Nepal, Vietnam].