陇南薹草 long nan tai cao

Rhizome stoloniferous. Culms 25-40 cm tall, trigonous, smooth, slightly scabrous above, clothed at base with brown sheaths disintegrating into fibers. Leaves shorter than culm, blades linear, 2-3 mm wide, flat, apex acuminate. Lowest involucral bract setaceous, base auriculate surrounding culm, sheathless, upper ones glumelike. Spikes 4-6; terminal spike male, cylindric, 1.2-3 cm; lateral spikes female, oblong or cylindric, 1-2.5 cm, densely many flowered, upper ones approximate, sessile, lowest distant, with peduncle. Female glumes dark purple, ovate-lanceolate, 4.5-5 mm, 1-veined, margins sometimes narrowly white hyaline, apex acuminate, mucronate. Utricles yellow-green, dark purple above, shorter than glume, ovate, trigonous, 3.5-4 mm, base gradually attenuate, apex abruptly contracted into a short beak, orifice 2-toothed. Nutlets tightly enclosed, obovate, trigonous, ca. 2 mm; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jun-Jul.

● Wet places along valleys; ca. 3000 m. S Gansu (Minxian).