密苞叶薹草 mi bao ye tai cao

Rhizome short and slightly thick, ligneous, without stolons. Culms 20-60 cm tall, rather stout, obtusely trigonous, clothed with reddish brown and bladeless sheaths at lower part. Leaves contiguously disposed, longer than culm, blades 8-15 mm wide, ± stiff, revolute on margins with distinctly transverse septate nodes between veins on abaxial surface, slightly long sheathed; sheaths ± overlapping, distinctly ligulate, reddish. Involucral bracts leaflike, congregated at top of culm, longer than inflorescence, rather shortly sheathed. Spikes 6-10, congregated at top of culm; terminal spike male, linear-cylindric, 1-2.5 cm, shortly pedunculate; lateral spikes female, sometimes with few male flowers at apex, narrowly cylindric, 2-3 cm, densely many flowered, pedunculate. Female glumes green at middle, pale laterally, very shortly ferruginous striate, broadly obovate, ca. 1.8 mm, membranous, 3-veined, apex acute, mucronate. Utricles grass-green, very shortly ferruginous striate, obliquely patent, longer than glume, broadly obovate, trigonous, 2.8-3.5 mm, membranous, densely white hispidulous, distinctly 2-veined laterally, base cuneate, apex abruptly contracted into a rather short beak, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets obovate, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, sessile; style base slightly thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.

Damp places in forests, roadsides, valleys; 500-1000 m. Fujian [Japan].