黄翅莎草 huang chi suo cao

Perennials. Rhizomes short, slightly thick, hardened. Culms laxly caespitose, to 3 m tall, stout, smooth, basally subterete, apically 3-angled. Leaves basal, nearly as long as culm; sheath purple; leaf blade 0.8-1.2 cm wide, flat, subleathery, midvein and margin scabrous. Involucral bracts 5-8, leaflike, shorter to longer than inflorescence. Inflorescence a decompound anthela; rays 4-10, to 25 cm, unequal in length, each with 4-7 raylets; raylets usually to 8 cm, apex with 3-5 spikes. Spikes suberect to obliquely spreading, cylindric, 3-6 × 0.8-1.2 cm, with many spikelets. Spikelets obliquely spreading to suberect, linear, 4-7 × ca. 1 mm, subterete to obscurely quadrate, 10-14-flowered; rachilla wings yellow, lanceolate, easily deciduous. Glumes yellowish to golden yellow on both surfaces but middle green, densely imbricate, oblong to elliptic, ca. 1.5 mm, 3-5-veined, apex mucronate. Stamens 3; anthers oblong, ca. 1.5 mm; connective prominent and subulate beyond anther apex, prominent part ca. 1/3 as long as anther, apex setose. Style slender; stigmas 3. Nutlet dark gray at maturity, oblong-ellipsoid, ca. 1/2 as long as subtending glume, densely puncticulate. Fl. Jun-Aug.

Pond and stream margins; near sea level to 1500 m. Hainan, Yunnan [Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].