Carex sect. Occlusae in Flora of China @ efloras.org

39. Carex sect. Occlusae C. B. Clarke, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew, Addit. Ser. 8: 147. 1908.

硬毛果薹草组 ying mao guo tai cao zu

Leaves with transverse septate nodes between longitudinal veins. Involucral bracts leafy, rather long sheathed. Spikes 3-8; male spike single, terminal, linear-cylindric; lateral spikes female, single in an involucral bract axil, oblong or oblong-cylindric, densely many flowered, thinly pedunculate. Female glumes ovate or broadly ovate, usually red-brown punctate, apex acute and mucronate. Utricles obliquely patent, ovate or obovate, trigonous, not inflated, densely hispidulous, rarely laxly hirtellous or glabrous, distinctly 2-veined laterally or indistinctly veined abaxially, apex abruptly contracted to a medium-sized or short beak, orifice shortly 2-toothed. Nutlets tightly enveloped; style base not thickened or slightly thickened; stigmas 3.

Eight species: E, S, and SE Asia; seven species (three endemic) in China.

1 Spikes approximate, usually congregated at top of culm, subcapitately disposed (2)

+ Spikes remote, not congregated at top of culm, racemosely disposed (3)

2 (1) Culms 12-15 cm tall; leaf blades 2-5 mm wide; female spikes 0.7-1.5 cm; utricles ca. 2.5 mm, ciliate only on margins of beak. 368 C. pseudophyllocephala

+ Culms 20-60 cm tall; leaf blades 8-15 mm wide; female spikes 2-3 cm; utricles 2.8-3.5 mm, densely hispidulous. 369 C. phyllocephala

3 (1) Female spikes with lax utricles; utricles subrhombic, distinctly trigonous, ca. 5 mm, dark gray-green, several veined abaxially, glabrous, sometimes ciliate on margins, dark brown glandular punctate; female glumes connate at base, funnelform. 370 C. poculisquama

+ Female spikes with dense utricles; utricles ovoid or obovoid, indistinctly trigonous, 3-4 mm (ca. 4.8 mm in C. ligulata), brownish green, with 2 lateral veins abaxially, densely hispidulous, rarely ciliate on margins or veins; female glumes not connate at base, not funnelform (4)

4 (3) Culms rather slender; leaf blades less than 5 mm wide; female spikes 3-4 mm wide; utricles subdistichous, laxly disposed, ca. 3 mm, densely hispidulous. 371 C. hebecarpa

+ Culms stouter than above; leaf blades (5-)7-15 mm wide; female spikes 5-6 mm wide; utricles multiseriate, densely or rather densely disposed, 3-5 mm, densely hispidulous or only on veins and upper margins (5)

5 (4) Utricles 3-3.5 mm, hispidulous only on veins and upper margins. 372 C. pseudoligulata

+ Utricles 3-5 mm, densely hispidulous (6)

6 (5) Leaf sheaths not overlapping, sheaths rather loosely enveloping culm; female glumes ca. 3 mm; utricles obovate, 4-5 mm. 373 C. ligulata

+ Leaf sheaths overlapping, sheaths rather tightly enveloping culm; female glumes ca. 1.8 mm; utricles broadly ovate, ca. 3 mm. 374 C. maubertiana

Lower Taxa