龙胜薹草 long sheng tai cao

Rhizome stout, sometimes elongate. Sub-basal sheaths of flowering culms bladeless; blades of vegetative culms herbaceous to papery, broadly linear, 40-50 × 1.5-3.5 cm, glabrous, midvein and 2 lateral veins distinctly prominent. Flowering culms 30-50 cm tall, with spikes at nodes above middle; involucral bract sheaths slightly inflated above and spathelike, 2.5-5 cm (except uppermost one very short), glabrous, nearly bladeless or blades up to 1 cm, not ligulate. Spikes androgynous, single or binate at each node, linear, 2.5-4.5 cm, pedunculate; peduncle 1-8 cm, slender, often exserted; male part nearly 1/2-3/4 length of spike, distinctly longer than female part, rather densely flowered; female part with 2-5 flowers, utricles sparse at maturity. Female glumes brown, subsquare to horizontally oblong, ca. 2.5 mm, rusty punctate, with 3 distinct veins at middle, faintly veined at both lateral sides, apex subtruncate. Utricles brown, oblong-elliptic, trigonous, 4.5-5.5 mm, rusty punctate, prominently many veined, apex abruptly contracted into an erect beak ca. 1.5 mm, orifice subtruncate. Nutlet tightly enveloped, elliptic, ca. 2.5 mm; style base not thickened, sparsely puberulent, persistent; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. May-Jun.

● Dense forests. Guangxi.