柱穗薹草 zhu sui tai cao

Rhizome long, ligneous, creeping or obliquely ascending. Culms dark brown, loosely tufted, 12-20 cm tall, 1.5-2 mm thick, stiff, triquetrous, scabrous on angles, persistent sheathed at base. Leaves longer than culm, flat, blades 2-3 mm wide, stiff, slightly scabrous. Involucral bracts leaflike, longer than inflorescence, ca. 2 mm wide, long sheathed. Spikes 4-6, androgynous, cylindric, 2-3 cm, ca. 2.5 mm thick, lowermost one remote and with an erect and long peduncle, remaining spikes approximate, with very short peduncle and usually enclosed; male part of spike longer than female part, densely many flowered; female part densely few flowered. Female glumes pale green laterally, green at middle, oblong, 4-4.5 mm, papery, 3-veined, thinly several veined, margins white hyaline, apex acute. Utricles greenish, longer than glume, obovate-oblong or oblong, trigonous, 4.5-5 mm, papery, densely pubescent, 2-veined laterally and thinly several veined, base contracted into a ± long stipe, margins very narrowly winged, ciliate, apex contracted into a short beak, orifice 2-toothed. Nutlets obovate or obovate-oblong, trigonous, 2-3 mm, base abruptly contracted into a short stipe, apex shortly beaked or nearly beakless; style with a thickened and conic base; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.

● Pinus forests on high mountains, wet grasslands; 1900-3400 m. SW and W Sichuan, NW Yunnan.