贺州薹草 he zhou tai cao

Rhizome short. Culms tufted, 20-55 cm tall, slender, compressed trigonous with rounded angles, smooth, covered at base by dark brown bladeless sheaths. Leaves shorter or longer than culm, blades 2.5-4 mm wide, flat, trabeculate, margins scabrid. Lower involucral bracts leaflike, short, upper one bristlelike, shorter than subtending spike, sheath 1-2 cm. Spikes 4 or 5; terminal spike male, linear, 30-60 mm, with peduncle 1-2.5 cm; lateral spikes female, widely spaced, linear-cylindric, 10-35 × 3-5 mm, laxly flowered, ± erect, peduncle 0.6-5 cm, all except upper ones slightly exserted from bract sheath. Male glumes narrowly oblanceolate, ca. 6 mm, apex obtuse. Female glumes pale brown, ovate-oblong, 7.5-8 mm, costa 1-veined, apex subacute. Utricles longer than glume, oblong-ellipsoid, 3-4 mm, glabrous, prominently many veined, base narrowly cuneate, not stipitate, apex with straight beak 0.8-1 mm, orifice 2-toothed. Nutlet ashy brown, tightly enveloped, ellipsoid, trigonous, 1.5-2 mm, with angles not constricted at middle, base cuneate to substipitate, apex contracted into a short pilose beak; style base slightly thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Apr.

● Mountain forests; ca. 500 m. E Guangxi (Hezhou).