藏东薹草 zang dong tai cao

Rhizome obliquely ascending, ligneous, stout. Culms densely tufted, 20-40 cm tall, ca. 1 mm thick, slightly scabrous. Leaves slightly shorter than or nearly equaling culm, elongating after flowering, flat or plicate, blades 1-2 mm with soft, dark brown persistent sheaths at base. Involucral bracts spathelike, sheaths green, membranous on margin, shortly leafy at apex. Spikes 3 or 4, remote, rarely lowermost one basal; terminal spike male, clavate-cylindric, 1.5-2 cm, 2-2.5 mm thick, densely many flowered; lateral spikes 2 or 3, female, cylindric, 1-2 cm, ca. 3 mm thick, laxly many flowered; peduncles filiform, very long exserted from involucral bract sheath. Female glumes brownish laterally, green at middle, obovate-oblong or oblong, 4.3-4.7 mm, papery, 3-veined, margins white hyaline, apex rounded or emarginate, with scabrous awn. Utricles greenish, shorter than or equaling glume, obovate-oblong, inflated trigonous, 4-4.5 mm, papery, densely pubescent, 2-veined laterally and thinly several veined, base gradually narrowed into a short stipe, apex abruptly contracted into a recurved and short beak, orifice entire. Nutlets obovate-oblong, 2.5-2.8 mm, trigonous, base shortly stipitate, apex with recurved and short beak; style base slightly thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. May-Sep.

Meadow thickets on high mountains, forests; 3000-4300 m. S Qinghai, SW and W Sichuan, E and S Xizang, NW Yunnan [Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, Nepal].