纤细薹草 xian xi tai cao

Rhizome short. Culms densely tufted, 10-25 cm tall, slender, triquetrous, smooth. Leaves usually basal, much shorter than culm, blades 1-2 mm wide, smooth on both surfaces, only scabrid on upper margins, sheathed; sheaths less than 2 cm, brown, eventually membranous part usually disintegrating into fibers. Involucral bracts sheathed, lower blades linear, upper blades setaceous; sheaths 5-8 mm, brownish, membranous at margin of mouth. Spikes few, remote, spaced up to 5 cm, usually singular in an involucral bract sheath; terminal spike male, linear, 7-8 mm; lateral spikes female, oblong, ca. 5 mm, sparsely few flowered. Female glumes yellowish brown and with brown striae, ovate, ca. 2 mm, membranous, 1-costate, apex acute and muticous. Utricles dark brown, suberect, longer than glume, elliptic, compressed plano-convex, ca. 2.8 mm, membranous, thinly 7-veined abaxially, base cuneate, shortly stipitate, apex gradually narrowed into a medium-sized to long beak, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets brown, tightly enveloped, obovate-elliptic, compressed biconvex, ca. 1.8 mm; style medium sized in length, base slightly thickened; stigmas 2, rather short. Fl. and fr. Jun-Aug.

● Forest margins, roadsides of mountain slopes, wet places in rock crevices; 1800-2500 m. Sichuan (Tianquan), Yunnan.