窄沿沟草 zhai yan gou cao

Catabrosa angusta (Stapf) L. Liu.

Culms up to 20 cm tall, shortly creeping, forming loose tufts. Leaf blades up to 5 cm × 1–2 mm. Panicle narrow, open; branches 1–2 cm, suberect. Lemma 1.5–2.2 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr–Sep.

* Mountains, wet grassy places, streamsides, pond margins; near sea level to 4800 m. Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Sichuan, Xizang.

This variety may simply represent small, depauperate plants from high altitudes. The panicle is more open than in Catabrosa capusii. Other small forms from high altitudes in the Himalayas and Qinghai, with an open panicle and deep purple spikelets, have been described as C. sikkimensis J. D. Hooker. These also intergrade completely with the main body of the species.