肿喙薹草 zhong hui tai cao

Carex tumida Boott (1858), not Beilschmid (1850).

Rhizome short, ligneous. Culms loosely tufted, rather thick, triquetrous, smooth, with several yellowish brown bladeless sheaths at base. Leaves longer than culm, blades 3-6 mm wide, flat, plicate proximally, with 2 distinct lateral veins, scabrous on both surfaces and margins, long sheathed; sheaths up to 15 cm. Involucral bracts leaflike, longer than subtending spike, lower sheaths rather long and upper sheaths rather short. Spikes 5 or 6, upper 3 or 4 approximate, lower 2 slightly remote; terminal spike male, linear-cylindric, 6-14 cm, with short peduncle or subsessile; lateral spikes female, cylindric, (3-)5-14 cm, densely many flowered, upper 2 with very short peduncle, lower ones with slightly long peduncle. Male glumes pale yellow, narrowly lanceolate, (5-)7-9 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex acuminate, with a long awn, awn ca. 1/2 length of glume and hispidulous along margins; female glumes pale yellow, ovate, ca. 2.8 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex attenuate, with a long awn, awn as long as or longer than 1/2 length of glumes and hispidulous along margins. Utricles brownish green, obliquely patent, slightly longer than glume, elliptic or obovate, obtusely trigonous, 2.8-3 mm, membranous, 3-5-veined abaxially, base cuneate, shortly stipitate, apex contracted into a medium-sized to long beak, orifice subtruncate or emarginate. Nutlets yellow or brownish yellow, rather tightly enveloped, elliptic, trigonous, ca. 1.5 mm, base shortly stipitate, apex mucronate; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Mar-May.

Mountain slopes, open forests, canals, shady and wet areas; 700-2000 m. Guangdong, Yunnan [Bhutan, India (Sikkim), Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam].