南亚薹草 nan ya tai cao

Rhizome short, stoloniferous. Culms tufted, 30-75 cm tall, triquetrous, rather thick, smooth on lower part, scabrous on upper part, ferruginous and bladeless sheathed at base, sheaths later usually splitting into reticulate fibers. Leaves longer than culm, blades 3-4 mm wide, flat, stiff, sheathed. Involucral bracts leafy, longer than inflorescence, lowermost involucral bract shortly sheathed, upper ones nearly not sheathed. Spikes 5-7; terminal 2-4 spikes male, approximate, linear-cylindric, 2-3 cm, subsessile; remaining spikes female, rather remote, lowermost distance up to 12 cm, densely many flowered, lowermost spike rather long pedunculate, upper ones shortly pedunculate, peduncles glabrous. Female glumes red-brown laterally, yellow-green at middle, lanceolate, 3-3.5 mm, membranous, 3-veined, apex acuminate, aristate, awn up to 3 mm at base of spike, scabrous on margins. Utricles brown, obliquely patent, horizontally patent in maturity, longer than or equaling glume, shorter than glume at base of spike (including awn), oblong-ovate, trigonous, 4-5 mm, leathery, densely pubescent, 5-veined abaxially, base abruptly contracted into a short stipe, apex gradually narrowed to a slightly thick and short beak, orifice long 2-toothed. Nutlets stramineous, tightly enveloped, obovate or subelliptic, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, apex mucronate; style of medium length, base not thickened; stigmas 3.

Mountain slopes; [400-]3000-3400 m. Yunnan [Afghanistan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, N Thailand, Vietnam].