Uncinia nepalensis Nees, in Wight, Contrib. Bot. Ind.: 129. 1834; Carex linearis Boott, Ill. Gen. Carex I: 51. 1858; C.B.Clarke in Hook.f., l.c. 712. Hemicarex linearis (Boott) Benth. in J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 18: 367. 1881.

Tightly tufted perennial, 12-40 cm. Rhizome short. Stem 0.5-1.8 mm, obtusely trigonous to terete, grooved, smooth. Leaves fine, narrower than stem, at first equalling (or even longer than) stem, finally much shorter; sheaths 30-60 mm, dark greyish brown, glossy when young, soon disintegrating into fibres or fibrous net, mouth margin almost straight; ligule to 0.5 mm, hardly arched; blades 0.5-0.7 mm wide, channelled, margins frequently incurved, scabrous. Inflorescence a lax spike, 15-70 x 2-4 mm, greenish-brown, lower part female, distal male. Female glumes 4.2-5.7 x 1.5-2 mm, lowest sometimes up to 20 mm, obtuse or acute, with scabrous arista up to 2.5 mm, greenish to light brown, basal part colourless, margins scarious; male glumes up to 7 mm, obtuse. Utricles 5.3-6.3 x 0.7-0.8 mm, fusiform, planoconvex, slightly obovoid, greenish, nerves scabrous; beak not clearly differentiated, green or brownish, ostiole with scarious margins, truncate or oblique. Rachilla mostly sterile, or with single staminate flower. Nut 4-4.3 x 0.8 mm, incl. style base to 0.8 mm and stipe to 0.4 mm, fusiform, trigonous, greyish brown with paler nerves, finely reticulate with papilla in each areole.

Fl. Per.: July.

Syntypes: "Nepalia", Royle 147 ex parte (LIV!) et 309.

Alpine and subalpine meadows 3200-4000 m; Distribution: From Swat along Himalayas to Sikkim.

Description is primarily based on a specimen from Sikkim, Lachen, 13000 ft, 15.7.1849. J.D. Hooker (K). Stewart (1972) following Kükenthal (1909) distinguishes under K. nepalensis var. vaginosa (C.B. Clarke) Kükenth. K. vaginosa C.B. Clarke is, however, good species endemic to Sikkim (Noltie, Edinb. J. Bot. 50: 39-50, 1993) and NW Himalayan specimens cited by Stewart, probably, represent forms of K. nepalensis.