双脉囊薹草 shuang mai nang tai cao

Carex karlongensis Kükenthal subsp. handelii (Kükenthal) P. C. Li.

Rhizome slightly long, stoloniferous. Culms densely tufted, 15-25 cm tall, slender, trigonous, smooth, clothed with a few bladeless or shortly bladed sheaths at base. Leaves shorter than or nearly equaling culm, blades 1-2 mm wide, rather soft, flat, rather smooth proximally, scabrous distally and at margins, longest sheath ca. 3 cm. Involucral bracts shorter or longer than spike, lower blades leaflike, upper involucral bracts with setaceous blade, sheathed. Spikes 1-3, usually 2, single in an involucral bract sheath, distance between spikes 4-5 cm, androgynous, with male part longer than female part, many male flowers in upper part and loosely with few female flowers in lower part, cylindric, 1.5-3 cm; peduncles slender. Female glumes brownish yellow, narrowly oblong or oblong-lanceolate, ca. 5 mm, membranous, green 1-veined, apex acuminate, mucronate, sometimes aristate in basal glumes. Utricles greenish, suberect, shorter than glume, obovate, obtusely trigonous, ca. 3 mm, herbaceous, 2-veined laterally, whitish hispidulous on veins and margins, base broadly cuneate, apex abruptly contracted into a rather long beak, orifice 2-toothed. Nutlets dark brown, tightly enveloped, obovate, obtusely trigonous, ca. 2 mm, base broadly cuneate, apex mucronate; style persistent, base thickened; stigmas 3, rather short, ca. 1 mm.

● Mixed forests in ravines, forests and grassy areas on mountain slopes; 2500-3100 m. Sichuan, Yunnan.