秋生薹草 qiu sheng tai cao

Rhizome short. Culms tufted, slender, 50-60(-70) cm tall, triquetrous, smooth. Leaves basal, many, shorter than culm, blades 2-3 mm wide, ± stiff, conduplicate proximally, distally flattened, scabrous on margins, with sheaths 4-5 cm, membranous part usually splitting, few dark brown and bladeless sheathed at base. Involucral bracts sheathed, lower involucral bract blades linear or setaceous, upper bracts bladeless. Spike 3-6 or more; terminal spike male, linear, 2-3 cm; remaining spikes androgynous, male part very short, sometimes only with 1 or 2 male flowers, rarely without male flower, loosely with female flowers, cylindric, 1-2.5 cm, thinly pedunculate. Female glumes yellowish brown, ovate, ca. 2.5 mm, membranous, 1-costate, apex obtuse or acute, sometimes mucronate. Utricles chestnut-brown, obliquely patent, longer than glume, broadly elliptic, plano-convex, ca. 3.5 mm, membranous, thinly several veined, sparsely hispidulous on veins, base cuneate, shortly stipitate, apex gradually narrowed into a medium-sized beak, orifice emarginate. Nutlets elliptic, compressed plano-convex, ca. 1.8 mm; style short, base thickened; stigmas 2, medium sized. Fl. and fr. Sep-Oct.

Shady places in ravines. Fujian, Zhejiang [Japan].