线形嵩草 xian xing song cao

Rhizomes short. Basal sheaths persistent, brown, reddish brown, or yellowish brown, dull, not fibrillose, retaining dead leaf blades or not. Culms densely tufted, stiffly erect, subterete, (0.5-)4-20(-40) cm tall, 0.6-1.2 mm in diam. Leaves basal, shorter than culms; blade flat, 1.4-2.3 mm wide, midrib distinct abaxially. Inflorescence spicate, greenish or pale brown, linear or linear-oblong, 1-5 × 0.2-0.4 cm, dense; all spikelets bisexual, occasionally male flowers reduced; lowest involucral bract glumelike, apex acute or aristate. Spikelets usually 2-flowered, basal one female, distal one male. Glumes pale brown laterally, with green midvein, ovate, 2-4.5 × 1.5-2.6 mm, midvein broad, 3-ribbed, margin hyaline, apex acute or obtuse, sometimes with very short scabrid arista; male glume 2.3-3.6 mm, stamen 1. Prophylls pale green or yellowish brown with ferruginous spots and lines, oblong or linear-oblong, (2.2-)3-5 × 0.7-1 mm, membranous, 2-keeled, keels scabrid, margins united to above middle, apex obtuse or 2-toothed. Nutlets pale brown, narrowly oblong, trigonous, 1.9-2.8 (excluding beak) × 0.6-0.9 mm, beak 0.5-1.5 mm, exserted from prophyll when mature, shortly stipitate. Stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. May-Sep.

Bare mossy peat, wet and open marshes, exposed and dry rocky ridges, grassy slopes; 3600-4600 m. Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India (Sikkim, Uttarakhand), Nepal].