Glabrous perennial with short rhizome. Stems solitary or somewhat tufted, rigid, obtusangular, compressed at the top, sulcate, smooth, incrassate at the leafy base, (15-)30-40(-60) cm by(½-)1(-2) mm. Leaves shorter than the stems, erect, rigid, flat, exactly linear, obtuse or abruptly acuminate, scabrid on the margins at least at the top, (1-)2-2½(-4) mm wide; ligule absent. Inflorescence simple or sub-compound, loose, with (2-)4-8(-18) spikelets, 3-6(-10)cm long. Involucral bracts 2-3, very short, erect, ½-2 cm long, the margins scarious at the base. Rays 2-6, obliquely erect, compressed, smooth, 2-6 cm long. Spikelets solitary, oblong-lanceolate, terete, acute, many-flowered, brown, 10-20 by 2-3 mm; rachilla broadly winged. Glumes spiral, chartaceous, ovate or oblong-ovate, rather acute, mucronulate, scarcely keeled, with strong midnerve, nerveless sides and narrow hyaline or microscopically ciliate margins, fulvous, (3½-)4½-6 by 3-4½ mm. Stamens 3; anthers linear, 1½-2¼ mm long. Style triquetrous, flattened at the top, pyramidally thickened at the base, ciliate in the upper half or membranous-margined, rarely glabrous, (2½-)4-5 mm long; stigmas 3, shorter than the style. Nut trigonous with slightly concave sides, obovoid-pyriform, truncate or somewhat impressed at the top, shortly stipitate, umbonulate, more or less verrucose, whitish or brownish, reticulate by the roundish or hexagonal epidermal cells, (7/8-)l-1¼ by 9/10-1 mm.
More
Perennials. Rhizomes short. Culms 20-40 cm tall, ± stiff, cylindric but sometimes slightly compressed on apical part, deeply striate, smooth, glabrous, basal sheaths bladed. Leaves 1/3-1/2 as long as culm; sheath less than 5 cm, leathery; ligule absent; leaf blade 1-2.5 mm wide, flat, subleathery, margin finely serrulate, apex acute to slightly obtuse. Involucral bracts 2 or 3, erect, leaflike, shorter than inflorescence, base slightly dilated. Inflorescence a simple or compound anthela, with 3-5 rays and 10 or more spikelets; rays flatly cylindric, 2-4 cm, slightly rigid. Spikelets solitary, narrowly oblong-ovoid, 10-20 × ca. 4 mm, subterete, with basal 2 or 3 glumes empty, apex acute. Glumes densely spirally imbricate, oblong, ca. 6 mm, midvein distinct and forming an abaxial keel, apex mucronate. Stamens 3; anthers linear-oblong, ca. 2 mm. Style 4-5 mm, 3-sided, basally inflated, apically ciliate; stigmas 3. Nutlet grayish black when mature, broadly obcordate, ca. 1.5 mm, 3-sided, verruculose with hexagonal reticulation. Fl. and fr. Jun.
Home
