匿鳞薹草 ni lin tai cao

Carex japonica Thunberg var. aphanolepis (Franchet & Savatier) Kükenthal; C. japonica var. humilis Franchet.

Rhizome slender and long stoloniferous. Culms 15-30 cm tall, slightly slender, triquetrous, scabridulous, brownish sheathed at base. Leaves longer than or nearly equaling culm, blades 3-8 mm wide, flat, soft, scabrous on margins, ± long sheathed, basal sheath ± disintegrated into fibers. Involucral bracts leaflike, longer than inflorescence, not sheathed. Spikes 3 or 4, upper spikes approximate, lower spikes rather remote; terminal spike male, linear, 1-3 cm, shortly pedunculate or nearly sessile; lateral spikes female, globose-oblong or oblong, 0.8-1.7 cm, ca. 5 mm wide, densely many flowered, upper spikes sessile, lower spikes shortly pedunculate. Male glumes brown, lanceolate-oblong, ca. 4 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex acuminate; female glumes green at middle, pale laterally, ovate or narrowly ovate, 2.5-3 mm, membranous, 3-veined, apex acuminate, mucronate. Utricles yellowish, obliquely patent, longer than glume, elliptic, inflated trigonous, ca. 4 mm, thickly papery, slightly shiny, obscurely veined, base broadly cuneate or obtusely rounded, apex abruptly contracted into a short beak, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets brown, rather loosely enveloped, elliptic or obovate-elliptic, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, apex muticous; style base slightly thickened; stigmas 3, rather short.

Forests, wet places at forest margins. Anhui, Jiangsu [Japan, Korea].