Carex pubescens Poir., Voy. Barbarie 2: 254. 1789. Scirpus pubescens (Poir.) Lam., Tabl. Encycl. 1: 139. 1791; Maire, Fl. Afr. Nord, 4: fig. 606. 1957. Pignatti, Fl. Italia, 3: 690. 1982.

Caespitose perennial, 25-75 cm. Rhizome horizontal, short. Stem 1.5-2 mm diam., trigonous; with 4-7 internodes, basal short, distal pubescent or papillose. Leaves 4-7, spreading, c. as long as internodes, lower often bladeless; lowest sheaths c. 10 mm, bladeless, soft, pubescent, other to 50 mm, loosely fitting, papillose, glabrous or upper pubescent, mouth slightly oblique, widely scarious; ligule c. 1.5 mm, scarious, light brown, upper pubescent, ciliate; blades to 20 cm 2-5 mm wide, longest in middle of stem, keeled, flat, grey green, margins narrowly recurved, lower side papillose, apex trigonous, acute, pubescent. Inflorescence with 4 sessile spikes, when more, lower pedunculate; peduncle short, pubescent, with tubular prophyll; bracts truncate, longer than spike. Spikes 7-10 x c. 4 mm, with 40-50 glumes; prophyll binerved, pubescent, e.g. 2.6 mm; glumes 4.7-5.1 mm, cymbiform, pubescent, truncate, arista 1.5-1.7 mm, scabrous; perianth bristles absent or diminutive. Stamens 2-3, anther c. 2.2 mm. Nut 1.4-1.5 x 0.7-0.9 mm, obovoid or globose, trigonous, edges rather sharp, sides convex, wrinkled when dry, white, glossy, finely reticulate, stylopodium c. 0.3 x 0.3 mm, trigonous, trabeculate, white.

Fl. Per.: May.

Type: N. Africa, J.L.M. Poiret (P). Punjab, Thomson (BM).

Streamside; Distribution: In the Mediterranean from Portugal to Turkey and Lebanon; Afghanistan, NW-India; in Africa to South Africa.

Description is based primarily on a specimen from Afghanistan (Wendelbo & al. 7467), but supplemented from Mediterranean specimens, which are more alike than specimens from Africa S of Sahara. Fuirena pubescens in India is largely replaced by related F. wallichiana Kunth, but reported from NW India by Clarke in Hook f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 6: 665. 1893 and Nair, Fl. Bashahr Himalaya (1977). Fischer (in Gamble, Fl. of Madras 1957) reported it from SW Madras (Palni Hills) as var. pergamentacea Fischer.