甘青剪股颖 gan qing jian gu ying

Agrostis shensiana Mez.

Perennial, densely tufted; old basal sheaths fibrous. Culms erect or geniculate at base, 8–30 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam., 2-noded. Leaf sheaths lax, overlapping; leaf blades linear, 2–8 cm × 1–3 mm, scabrid on both surfaces; ligule ca. 2 mm, back scabrid, apex rounded. Panicle dense, spikelike, linear-oblong in outline, 3–9 cm; branches 3–6 at each node, short, erect, up to 4 cm, smooth or scabrid, bearing spikelets from base; pedicels 0.7–2 mm, scabrid. Spikelets 2.8–4 mm, green flushed dark purple; glumes lanceolate, unequal, lower glume ca. 0.2 mm longer than upper glume, keel scabrid, upper back and margins puberulous, apex acuminate; callus hairs ca. 0.2 mm; lemma ca. 2/3 spikelet length, awnless or with short awnlet below apex, apex obtuse or slightly toothed; palea 0.45–0.5 mm. Anthers 0.7–1 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug–Sep.

* Alpine grasslands, rocky slopes; 2500–4200 m. Gansu, Qinghai, W Shaanxi, NW Sichuan.

This species is similar in habit to Agrostis mackliniae, which has filiform leaf blades, shorter spikelets, a subglabrous callus, and a shorter palea.