C. stenophylloides V. Krecz. in Fedtsch. & M. Pop., Fl. Turkmen. 1: 230, fig. 93. 1932; C. stenophylla Wahlenb. var. pellucida Litw. in Trav. Mus. Bot. Acad. Sci. Imp. Petersb. 7: 84. 1909; C. duriuscula C.A. Mey. var. interrupta Litw., l.c. 7: 85. 1909; V. Krecz. in Kom., Fl. URSS 3: tabl. 10, 2. 1935; Ovczinnikov, Fl. Tadjik. SSR 2: tabl. 10, fig. 3. 1963.

More compactly tufted than subsp. stenophylla, to 30 cm; leaf blades often bluish green; inflorescence 10-20 x 5 mm, mostly elongate ellipsoid, lowest bract usually as long as its spike; utricles to 5 mm, stipe to 0.7 mm.

Fl. Per.: March - July.

Type: "Kazakhstan", Dzungarskiy Alatau, okrestnosti Kopala, 22.6.1909. B. Lipsky 2658 (LE!).

Mountain meadows, moist, often somewhat saline meadows; 450-3300 m; Distribution: From Caucasus and Iran to Pakistan, Kashmir and Mongolia.

The type is indicated by Kreczetovicz in Kom., Fl. URSS 3: 142. 1935 and definitely cited by Egorova, Osoki SSSR, Vidy Podroda Vignea: 129. 1966. Subsp. stenophylloides, although morphologically rather easily distinguished from C. pachystylis Gay and occurring N and NE from its area, is still quite variable, e.g. in morphology of utricles and fruits (comp. also illustrations in Fl. Turkmenii and Fl. Tadjik. SSR). In addition, some specimens in eastern Afghanistan, Karakorum, Kashmir and NW Himalayas with heavy spikes and curved stems, have occasionally been wrongly named as C. incurva auct. or C. maritima auct. (C.B.Clarke 1898, R.R.Stewart 1972). Sometimes they may be misnamed C. pseudofoetida, cf. Egorova, Cyperaceae, in A. I. Vvedensky (ed.) in Conspectus Florae Asiae Mediae 5. 1976; Dickoré (1995). These specimens are tentatively treated here under C. stenophylla subsp. stenophylloides. However, the recently described C. sagaensis Y. C. Yang, Fl. Xizang. 5: 439. 1987 may be the correct name for this taxon (Dickoré 62, 1995).