不丹嵩草 bu dan song cao

Kobresia prainii var. elliptica Y. C. Yang; K. utriculata C. B. Clarke.

Rhizomes short. Basal sheaths prominent and persistent, pale brown, dull, not retaining dried leaf blades. Culms densely tufted, erect, rigid, subterete, 3-10(-25) cm tall, slender, 0.5-1 mm in diam. Leaves basal, shorter to longer than culms; blade erect or recurved, filiform, less than 0.5 mm wide, margin involute. Inflorescence spicate, unisexual; all spikelets 1-flowered. Male spikes cream to pale brown, narrowly elliptic, often curved, 6-13 × 2-5 mm; male glumes whitish or pale brown, linear-lanceolate, 5.5-7.5 × 0.8-1 mm, membranous, apex obtuse. Female spike slightly lax, pale brown, linear-elliptic or narrowly oblong, 1-2 × 0.2-0.3 cm; lowest involucral bract glumelike, blunt; female glumes brown or yellowish brown laterally, with paler midvein, ovate to lanceolate, 3.5-6 × 1-1.5 mm, midvein narrow, margin narrowly hyaline, apex acute or obtuse. Prophylls lower parts yellowish green, upper parts brown, utriculiform, oblong, 2.5-3 × 0.8-1 mm, membranous, 2-keeled, keels ciliate, margins fused to apex, apex rounded. Nutlets brown, oblong or elliptic, trigonous, 1.8-2.4 × 0.7-1 mm, not stipitate, not beaked. Stigmas 3. Sterile rachilla of female spikelets linear, less than 1/2 as long as to subequaling nutlet. Fl. and fr. May-Sep.

Grassy slopes, alpine meadows, rocky and grassy slopes; 3300-5600 m. Xizang [Bhutan, India (Sikkim), Nepal].