镰叶嵩草 lian ye song cao

Rhizomes short. Basal sheaths prominent and persistent, dark brown, dull, not retaining dried leaf blades. Culms densely tufted, erect, trigonous, 12-15 cm tall, slender, ca. 1 mm in diam. Leaves basal, slightly shorter than or ± equaling culms; blade flat, slightly curved and falcate, 2-3.7 mm wide. Inflorescence moderately densely spicate, androgynous, oblong, 1.5-2 × 0.3-0.4 cm; all spikelets 1-flowered, terminal 3 or 4 male, others female; lowest involucral bract glumelike, apex aristate, arista to 9 mm. Male glumes brown, lanceolate, 5-6 mm, membranous. Female glumes brown laterally, with yellowish brown midvein, narrowly oblong, 6-6.5 (excluding arista) × ca. 2 mm, papery, margin of upper parts very narrowly hyaline, apex rounded and aristate, arista 1-1.5 mm. Prophylls yellow in lower part, upper parts and margin brown, linear-oblong, 5-5.5 × 0.5-0.7 mm, membranous, 2-keeled, keels scabrid, margins open to base even in juvenile stage, apex rounded. Nutlets narrowly oblong, trigonous, 4.8-5.2 mm (including beak), beak ca. 2 mm, included in prophylls when mature. Stigmas 3. Sterile rachilla of female spikelets linear, minute, ca. 1/5 as long as nutlet. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug.

● In rock crevices; 2800-4000 m. Gansu, Sichuan.