密花薹草 mi hua tai cao

Carex olivacea Boott var. angustior Kükenthal.

Rhizome short, stoloniferous. Culms 60-95 cm tall, acutely triquetrous, winged on 3 angles, medium thick, clothed with bladeless or shortly bladed sheaths at base, and with 1 or 2 leaves on upper part. Leaves slightly shorter than culm, uppermost leaf usually longer than culm, blades 8-12 mm wide, flat, with 2 distinct lateral veins, smooth on both surfaces, scabrous on margins, sheathed, lower sheaths usually dehiscent. Involucral bracts leaflike, longer than subtending spike, upper involucral bracts narrow, nearly not sheathed. Spikes 4-6, ± contiguous at upper part of culm; terminal spike male, cylindric or narrowly cylindric, 4-8 cm, shortly pedunculate; lateral spikes female, cylindric, (2-)3.5-8 cm, densely many flowered, lower 1 or 2 spikes shortly pedunculate, upper spikes nearly sessile. Female glumes ferruginous, narrowly oblong or narrowly oblong-ovate, 3-3.5 mm, membranous, green 1-veined, apex attenuate, awned. Utricles ferruginous, slightly shorter than glume, horizontally patent at maturity, ovate or subobovate, trigonous, ca. 3 mm, membranous, glabrous, several veined abaxially, base broadly cuneate, apex attenuate into a short beak, beak straight or slightly recurved, obliquely truncate or sometimes shortly 2-toothed at orifice. Nutlets brown at maturity, rather loosely enveloped, subobovate, trigonous, ca. 2 mm, base estipitate, apex with torsional mucro; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. May-Jul.

Wet areas in forests, watersides or grasslands among shrubs; 1800-2700 m. Guizhou, Hubei, Yunnan [Japan].