年佳薹草 nian jia tai cao

Rhizome ligneous, long and obliquely ascending. Culms loosely tufted, 10-30 cm tall, acutely triquetrous, slightly stiff, densely papillose, scabrous on angles, dark brown and persistent sheathed at base. Leaves longer than culm, blades 3-5 mm wide, flat, scabrous on upper surface. Involucral bracts leaflike, linear, shorter than inflorescence, shortly sheathed. Spike single, terminal, or 2 or 3, lateral spikes borne at middle or lower part of culm, terminal spike broadly ovate or ovate-orbicular, 8-20 mm, 6-10 mm thick, lateral spikes rather small; peduncle filiform, rather long; male part of spike oblong-cylindric, densely several to many flowered; female part rather short, loosely 3-10-flowered. Female glumes stramineous laterally, green at middle, ovate or broadly ovate, ca. 4 mm, papery, 3-veined and thinly few veined, margins white hyaline, apex slightly recurved and long awned. Utricles brownish green, patent, slightly longer than glume, elliptic, ca. 5 mm, subleathery, glabrous, 2-veined laterally and thinly several veined, base attenuate, nearly estipitate, margins winged and ciliate, apex contracted into a short beak, orifice slightly patent 2-toothed. Nutlets yellowish brown at maturity, broadly ovate, trigonous, slightly concave on sides, ca. 3.5 mm, base shortly stipitate or nearly estipitate, apex beakless; style base slightly thickened, conic; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug.

● Meadow thickets on high mountains, mixed forests, grasslands on gully sides; 1800-3700 m. SW Sichuan, NW Yunnan (Eryuan).