纤细嵩草 xian xi song cao

Kobresia gracilis Y. C. Yang, Acta Biol. Plateau Sin. 2: 10. 1984, not Meinshausen (1901).

Rhizomes very short. Basal sheaths prominent and persistent, brown, dull, fibrillose, not retaining dried leaf blades. Culms densely tufted, erect, subtriquetrous, 8-23 cm tall, slender, less than 0.5 mm in diam. Leaves basal, shorter than to subequaling culms; blade filiform, thinner than culms, margin involute. Inflorescence spicate, unisexual; all spikelets 1-flowered. Male spikes pale brown, linear, occasionally with 1 or 2 female spikelets at base; male glumes pale brown, oblong, ca. 4 mm, membranous, apex acute or rounded. Female spike compact, brown or pale brown, linear or cylindric, (0.5-)1-2 × 0.1-0.2 cm; lowest involucral bract glumelike, apex rounded; female glumes brown or chestnut-brown laterally, with green midvein, oblong-ovate, 3-3.5 mm, membranous, midvein broad, margin narrowly hyaline, apex rounded. Prophylls yellowish green, with brown apex, utriculiform, narrowly elliptic, 2-3 × 0.7-1 mm, membranous, 2-keeled, keels smooth, margins fused to apex. Nutlets pale brown, oblong, trigonous or compressed trigonous, very shortly stipitate, shortly beaked, 1.5-2.5 mm, beak ca. 0.8 mm. Stigmas 3. Sterile rachilla of female spikelets narrowly lanceolate, ca. 1/2 as long as nutlet. Fl. and fr. Aug.

● Grassy slopes, grasslands among Quercus; 3600-4400 m. Sichuan.