褐柄薹草 he bing tai cao

Carex phaeopoda Ohwi.

Rhizome short, without stolons. Culms densely tufted, 30-60 cm tall, erect, trigonous, scabrous above. Leaves many, 6-13 mm wide, basal sheaths rusty brown or somewhat purplish brown. Involucral bracts leaflike, much surpassing inflorescence, sheathless at base. Spikes 5-7, subfastigiate, sessile or pedunculate; terminal spike male, or with a few female flowers, linear, 4-8 cm; lateral spikes female, cylindric, rarely with a few male flowers, 5-9 × 0.4-0.5 cm, densely many flowered. Female glumes pale and flecked with dark purple-brown, ovate or elliptic, ca. 2 mm, greenish 1-veined costa excurrent into a mucro at truncate apex. Utricles light brownish green, suberect, ovate, biconvex, 2.2-2.5 mm, nerveless, base shortly stipitate, apical beak rather short, truncate. Nutlets loosely enveloped, broadly obovoid, biconvex, ca. 1.5 mm, contracted at both ends; stigmas 2.

Grassy places at middle elevations. Taiwan [Japan].

No specimens from China have been seen by the present authors.