若羌赖草 ruo qiang lai cao

Leymus arjinshanicus D. F. Cui subsp. ruoqiangensis (S. L. Lu & Y. H. Wu) D. F. Cui.

Culms tufted, 30–70 cm tall, 3- or 4-noded, glabrous. Leaf sheath brown at base, glabrous, margin membranous, sometimes ciliolate; ligule ca. 0.5 mm; leaf blade usually rolled, 6–15 × 0.1–0.3 cm, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial surface scabrous or puberulent. Spike erect, 4.5–14 mm; rachis hairy at nodes, margin ciliate; internodes 6–15 mm. Spikelets purplish or glaucous, usually 1 per node, with 3–5 florets. Glumes subulate or narrowly lanceolate, subequal, 7–10 mm, veinless or 1-veined, glabrous or pilose, margin scabrous, apex acuminate. Lemma oblong-lanceolate, 5-veined, awnless or mucronate. Palea subequaling lemma, ciliolate along keels or glabrous. Anthers purplish or yellowish, 3–4 mm. Fl. and fr. summer.

* Alkaline soils in high mountains; 3600–4100 m. Qinghai, Xinjiang.

Also see CAI Lian-Bing & ZHANG Tong-Lin. 2007. Taxonomic notes on two taxa of Leymus (Poaceae) from China. Acta Phytotax. Sin. 45: 376-382.