128. Carex speciosa Kunth, Enum. Pl. 2: 504. 1837.
翠丽薹草 cui li tai cao
Rhizome long, ligneous. Culms densely tufted, 15-30 cm tall, 1-1.5 mm thick, slender, compressed triquetrous, winged or not, soft, slightly scabrous. Leaves shorter or longer than culm, flat, blades 4-10(-16) mm wide, soft, smooth, with dark brown persistent sheaths. Involucral bracts leaflike, longer than inflorescence, blades 2.5-5 mm wide, long sheathed. Spike single, terminal, or 2 or 3(-7), lateral spikes borne at middle or base of culm, androgynous, cylindric, 1-4 cm, 3-5 mm thick, long pedunculate at middle and rather shortly pedunculate at base; male part of spike usually shorter than female part, rather thin, densely few to many flowered; female part densely many flowered. Female glumes greenish, broadly ovate to oblong, 2-4.4 mm, papery, distinctly 1-3-veined at middle, thinly several veined on both sides, margins membranous, apex acute or acuminate. Utricles green, longer than glume, oblong, trigonous, 4-5 mm, papery, loosely pubescent on upper part, later glabrescent, 2-veined laterally and thinly few veined, base contracted into a short stipe, margins narrowly winged or not winged, loosely ciliate, apex attenuate into a short beak, orifice small 2-toothed. Nutlets oblong, 2.5-3 mm, base contracted into a short stipe, apex beakless; style base slightly thickened or not thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.
Quercus, coniferous, and evergreen broad-leaved forests, thickets or grasslands on riversides; 1000-3400 m. SW Sichuan, Yunnan [Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam].
