马库薹草 ma ku tai cao

Rhizome indurate. Culms 30-40 cm tall, slender, acutely trigonous, stiff. Leaves subequaling culm, clothed at base with brown-red bladeless sheaths. Involucral bracts leaflike, much longer than inflorescence, sheathless. Spikes 5, upper approximate, lowest one distant; terminal spike gynaecandrous, linear-cylindric, 4-4.6 cm; lateral spikes female, cylindric, 25-40 × 3.5-4 mm, densely many flowered. Female glumes brown, oblong, 1.7-2.2 mm, green 3-veined costa excurrent into an awn, apex subrounded or emarginate. Utricles light brown, dark purple-brown flecked, longer than glume, narrowly oblong, biconvex, later inflated, 2.7-3.5 mm, papery, veined, base rounded, shortly stipitate, apex abruptly contracted into a very short beak, orifice entire. Nutlets elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 1.7-2.3 mm; style base not thickened; stigmas 2. Fl. and fr. Aug.

● Sandy soil of riversides; ca. 1400 m. Yunnan.