乳突薹草 ru tu tai cao

Carex pruinosa Boott subsp. maximowiczii (Miquel) Kükenthal.

Rhizome short, rarely creeping. Culms tufted, 30-75 cm tall, acutely trigonous, slightly rigid, clothed at base with brown or red-brown bladeless sheaths usually disintegrating into fibers. Leaves shorter than or subequaling culm, blades linear, 3-4 mm wide, flat, margins revolute. Lowest involucral bract leaflike, surpassing inflorescence, upper ones setaceous or glumelike. Spikes 2 or 3; terminal spike male, narrowly cylindric, with peduncle 2-4 cm; lateral spikes female, oblong-cylindric or oblong, 2.5-3 × 0.8-0.9 cm, lowest one with slender peduncle 1.5-2 cm, pendent, upper peduncles much shorter, erect or pendent. Female glumes red-brown, oblong-lanceolate, 4-4.5 mm, green 3-veined costa forming a short awn at acuminate apex. Utricles red-brown, shorter than or equaling glume, broadly obovoid to broadly ovoid, biconvex, 4-4.2 × 3-3.5 mm, densely papillose and red-brown glandular, nearly nerveless except for 2 costas on edges, base broadly cuneate, shortly stipitate, apex abruptly contracted into a short beak, orifice entire. Nutlets brown, loosely enveloped, compressed orbicular, 2-2.2 mm; style long, base not thickened; stigmas 2. Fl. and fr. Jun-Jul.

Sunny slopes, moist places at watersides; 300-800 m. Liaoning, Shandong [Japan, Korea].