星穗莎 xing sui suo

Arthrostylis thouarsii Kunth, Enum. Pl. 2: 284. 1837; A. chinensis Bentham; Actinoschoenus chinensis (Bentham) Bentham; Fimbristylis chinensis (Bentham) Tang & F. T. Wang.

Culms tufted, 15-40 cm tall, slender, 3-angled, with 2 sheaths at base. Leaves bladeless; sheath brown, with prominent ribs, margin membranous and darker, apically attenuate to a caudate apex but basal ones not caudate, mouth obliquely truncate. Involucral bracts subulate, usually shorter than inflorescence, base continuing into culm. Spikelets 1 or 2(-6), narrowly ovoid, 6-8 × 0.5-2 mm, with fewer flowers, with 5-7 glumes distichous basally and 3 basal ones empty, few-flowered and apicalmost glume with a sterile flower. Glumes brown, semicircular to broadly ovate basally on spikelet and oblong-ovate apically on spikelet, 0.2-2 mm, membranous, glabrous, 3-veined, apex mucronate. Stamens 3; stigmas 3. Nutlet cream-colored to light brownish, obovoid, 1-1.2 mm, 3-sided, smooth to verruculose and indistinctly reticulate. Fl. Sep-Oct, fr. Apr-May.

On rocks in woods; 200-300 m. Guangdong, Hainan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia (Peninsular), Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; tropical Africa, Australia, Indian Ocean islands, Madagascar].