垂穗薹草 chui sui tai cao

Rhizome woody, rather thick, usually stoloniferous. Culms loosely tufted, 30-60 cm tall, slender, trigonous, scabrous above, clothed at base with brown or dark brown sheaths ± disintegrating into fibers. Leaves shorter than culm, blades linear, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, slightly stiff, flattish or flattish plicate. Lowest involucral bract leaflike, shorter than spike, sheathing 3-5 cm, upper ones setaceous. Spikes 3-5, upper spikes contiguous to closely contiguous, suberect, lowest one very remote and pendent on long exserted, filiform peduncle; terminal spike male or rarely with a few female flowers at base, clavate to linear-clavate, 2-3 cm; lateral spikes female, narrowly cylindric, 2.5-4.5 × ca. 0.5 cm, sublaxly many flowered, peduncles exserted, filiform. Female glumes deep chestnut-brown with pale upper margin, oblong, thinly herbaceous, greenish 1-veined costa forming a straight scabrous awn ca. 1 mm, apex truncate or shallowly emarginate. Utricles slightly longer than glume, erect, ovate-fusiform, trigonous, 4.5-5 mm, membranous, densely hispid except at very base, nearly nerveless except for 2 costas on edges, gradually attenuate at both ends, base shortly stipitate, apex rather long beaked, orifice obliquely truncate, 2-toothed. Nutlets tightly enveloped, ovate-elliptic, compressed trigonous, 2-2.5 mm, base shortly stipitate; style base thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jul.

● Sandy grasslands at high elevations. Taiwan.