湿薹草 shi tai cao

Rhizome long stoloniferous. Culms densely tufted, 50-70 cm tall, obtusely trigonous, smooth on lower part and slightly scabrous on upper part, clothed with red-brown and bladeless sheaths at base, sheaths later usually splitting into reticulate fibers. Leaves shorter than culm, blades 4-6 mm wide, flat, slightly revolute on margins, with transverse septate nodes between veins, glabrous or laxly pubescent, rather long sheathed, sometimes upper sheaths laxly pubescent. Involucral bracts leafy, lowermost one longer than or equaling inflorescence, upper involucral bracts shorter than inflorescence, shortly sheathed, uppermost nearly not sheathed. Spikes 3-7, upper spikes approximate, lower ones rather remote; terminal 2-4 spikes male, narrowly lanceolate, 2-3 cm, subsessile; remaining spikes female, oblong-cylindric or cylindric, 3-5 cm, densely many flowered, rather lax at base, lower spikes shortly pedunculate, upper ones subsessile. Female glumes pale ferruginous, oblong-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 6-7.5 mm (including awn), membranous, 3-veined, apex acuminate, long aristate. Utricles greenish or yellow-green, obliquely patent, slightly longer than glume, ovate, plano-convex, 6-8 mm, thinly leathery, glabrous, several veined, base subrounded, shortly stipitate, apex gradually narrowed into a medium-sized to long beak, orifice rather long 2-toothed. Nutlets loosely enveloped in utricle, obovate, convex on both sides, ca. 2.5 mm, base stipitate; style base not thickened; stigmas 2. Fl. and fr. Jun-Jul.

● Wet places at watersides in swamps or ravines. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Nei Mongol.