肿胀果薹草 zhong zhang guo tai cao

Carex ischnostachya Steudel var. subtumida Kükenthal, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 27: 109. 1929.

Rhizome short or elongate. Culms 45-75 cm tall, slightly thick, triquetrous, smooth, few purple-brown and bladeless sheathed at base. Leaves slightly shorter than culm, blades 6-7 mm wide, flat, subrigid, with 2 conspicuous lateral veins on upper surface, scabrous on veins of both surfaces and margins; sheaths long, lowermost ones purple-brown and usually splitting later. Involucral bracts leaflike, much surpassing subtending spike, lower ones slightly long sheathing, upper ones shortly sheathing, uppermost nearly not sheathing. Spikes 4-6, lowest 1 or 2 remote, upper 3 or 4 contiguous at apex of culm; terminal spike male, linear, 2.5-3 cm, subsessile; lateral spikes female, long cylindric, 3.5-7 cm, densely many flowered, lowest 1 or 2 with long peduncle, upper ones subsessile. Female glumes yellowish or brownish yellow, ovate, ca. 1 mm, membranous, 1-veined, apex acuminate. Utricles brown-green, horizontally patent later, much longer than glume, elliptic-obovate, obtusely trigonous, 3.2-3.5 mm, membranous, many veined, base rounded, apex abruptly contracted into a rather short beak, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets stramineous, elliptic, trigonous, ca. 1.5 mm, sessile, apex mucronate; style not thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Apr-May.

● Ravine sides, watersides, roadsides on mountain slopes; 800-1000 m. Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi.