雷波薹草 lei bo tai cao

Carex alpina Swartz var. gracilenta (Boott ex Strachey) C. B. Clarke; C. gracilenta Boott ex Strachey; C. infuscata Nees var. gracilenta (Boott ex Strachey) P. C. Li.

Culms 15-25 cm tall, loosely tufted, scabrous below inflorescence. Leaves equaling to shortly overtopping culm, blades 3-5 mm wide, gradually tapering to acute apex; basal sheaths brownish and red-purple tinged, scarcely disintegrating into fibers. Spikes 3 or 4, approximate, oblong-elliptic, 10-15 × 4-5 mm; terminal spike gynaecandrous with short basal male part no more than 3 mm; lateral spikes female or with several male flowers at base. Female glumes dark purple-brown, ovate to ovate-oblong, ca. 2 × 1-1.5 mm, midrib stramineous, nearly as long as utricle, apex acute. Utricles oblong-obovate to obovate, rather conspicuously veined, base attenuate, apex contracted into a purple-tinged beak ca. 0.5 mm, orifice subtruncate. Nutlets rather tightly enveloped, obovate, trigonous, ca. 1.25 mm; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jun.

Subalpine meadows or forest margins; 2700-3600 m. SW and W Sichuan, NW Yunnan [Bhutan, India].