Scirpus affinis Roth in Roem. & Schult., Veg. 2: 140. 1817; R.R.Stewart, l.c. 100; S. maritimus L. subsp. affinis (Roth) T. Norl. in Bot. Not. 125: 404. 1972; C. B. Clarke, l.c. 659. 1893. B. maritimus (L.) Palla subsp. affinis (Roth) T. Koyama in Brittonia 31: 284. 1979; B. strobilinus (Roxb.) V. Krecz, in P.N. Ovchinnikov (ed.), Fl. Tadjikskoi SSR, 2: 47. 1963. Scirpus strobilinus Roxb., Hort. Bengal. 6. 1814. nom. nud.; Fl. Ind. 1: 219. 1820. Scirpus vulpinicolor T. Koyama in Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 17: 50. 1957. Scirpus schmidii Raymond in M. Koeie & Rech.f. in Dan. Biol. Skr. 14:15 1965; B. popovii T.Egorova, in Grubov, Pl. Asiae Centralis, 3: 21. 1976; Ovchinnikov, Fl. Tadjikskoi SSR, 2: Tabl. 10, Figs. 5-7. 1963.

Perennial, 7-60 cm. Rhizome creeping or with stolons ending in a tuber c. 10 mm diam. Stem sharply trigonous above, edges smooth or scabrous, grey green, basal internodes elongated. Leaves c. equalling stem; sheaths up to 10 cm, green or yellowish brown, soft, margin almost straight; blades up to 30 cm x 1.5-6 mm, flat or folded, keeled, grey green, seldom green, smooth or margins and apex scabrous. Inflorescence compact, up to 30 mm diam., formed by 1 - c. 15 spikes, sometimes with 1-2 branches, c. 10 mm, ending with cluster of 1-3 spikes; bracts up to 15 cm. Spikes 8-20 x 5-8 mm, ovoid, obtuse, turgid, sometimes almost sphaerical, yellow brown, seldom brown; glume-like bract, e.g. 5 mm, glume-like prophyll, e.g. 4 mm; glumes c. 50 in one spike, 5.1-8.5 x 2.2-3.3 mm, cymbiform, arista 1-2 mm, slightly recurved, scabrous, sides nerveless, more or less hairy, or barbed, yellow brown or widely scarious, apex truncate, trifid and often ciliate. Perianth bristles usually 4, easily detached, inequal, c. half of nut; anthers 1.5-3.5 mm; stigmas predominantly 2, often 3. Nut 2.1-3.8 x 1.5-2.3 mm, ovoid or obovoid, lenticular, or trigonous and plano-convex, apex from rounded to conical, surface reticulate, white or yellowish brown, glossy, epidermal cells hexagonal, c. 0.1 mm diam., much deeper than wide, outer wall translucent.

Fl. Per.: January-April.

Neotype: "India orientalis, Malabar [Kerala], Concan [Konkan, Maharashtra] etc., Regio trop., Stocks, Law etc., s.n. (Herb. Ind. Or. Hook. fil. & Thomson)" (C); selected by T. Norlindh in Bot. Not. 125: 404. 1972.

In shallow water; rivers and lake shores, irrigation channels, waste land pools, rice fields; Distribution: From Europe to India.