三念薹草 san nian tai cao

Carex surculosa Raymond.

Rhizome woody, with stolons. Culms tufted, lateral, 40-60 × ca. 0.1 cm, trigonous, glabrous, base with brown sheaths. Leaves radical and cauline; radical leaves longer than culms, several ones forming a high shoot, leaf blades linear, flat, 5-7 mm wide, glabrous, margins entire or scabrid, base covered with brown sheaths; cauline leaves brown, spathelike, loosely pubescent and glabrescent later. Involucral bracts spathelike, with linear blades, shorter than inflorescence branches. Panicle compound, 6-10 cm, 3-6-branched; inflorescence branches subcorymbose, single or binate, 3-10-spiked, broadly ovate, ca. 2 × 2-3 cm; peduncles of inflorescence branches tenuous, 3-5.5 cm, slightly scabrid; inflorescence axes sharply trigonous, densely hairy and glabrescent later; bractlets pale brown laterally, pale green at middle, glumelike, lanceolate, 2.5-3 mm, loosely pubescent. Spikes bisexual, androgynous, obliquely or horizontally patent, 10-15 mm; male part of spike cylindric, longer than female part; female part 3-9-flowered; male glumes pale green with brown spots and short lines, lanceolate, 3-3.5 mm, with 1 midrib, apex acuminate; female glumes pale brown with brown spots and short lines, ovate-lanceolate, 2.5-3 mm, membranous, loosely pubescent and glabrescent later, with 1 midrib, margins ciliate, apex acute. Utricles brown, elliptic or broadly elliptic, obtusely trigonous, 3.5-4 mm, papery, glabrous, with several fine veins, apex contracted into long beak, beak nearly as long as utricle, orifice minutely 2-toothed. Nutlets elliptic or broadly elliptic, trigonous, 1.5-2 mm; style base thickened; stigmas 3.

● Among shrubs on slopes. Guangdong.