安宁薹草 an ning tai cao

Rhizome rather long. Culms loosely tufted, 25-30 cm tall, ca. 1.5 mm thick, slender, triquetrous, smooth. Leaves slightly longer than culm, linear, revolute on margins, blades ca. 1 mm wide, stiff, scabrous on upper surface; sheaths dark brown and persistent. Involucral bracts leaflike, longer than inflorescence, sheathed. Spikes 2 or 3, androgynous, lowermost one borne below middle of culm, linear, long pedunculate, remaining spikes remote, rather shortly pedunculate, cylindric, 2.5-4 cm, 4-5 mm thick; male part of spike to 1/2 length of female part, both parts densely many flowered. Female glumes pale greenish laterally, green at middle, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 3-3.5 mm, subleathery, 1-veined, margins narrowly white hyaline, apex acuminate. Utricles greenish, longer than glume, elliptic or oblong, slightly inflated trigonous, 3.8-4.2 mm, subleathery, loosely pubescent, 2-veined laterally and thinly several veined, base attenuate into a short stipe, margins narrowly winged, ciliate, apex contracted into a short beak, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets dark brown at maturity, ovate or elliptic, trigonous, 2.8-3 mm, granular-punctate; style base thickened, conic, loosely pubescent; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Oct-Nov.

● C Yunnan (Anning).