Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Perennials with short rhizomes.

Stems: Culms (stems) densely tufted, 15–40 cm tall, 0.5–1 mm in diameter near base, trigonous, smooth.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple. 3-ranked. Blades flat, linear, shorter than to slightly longer than the culm, 2–3.7 mm wide. Apex gradually tapering and acute. Surfaces yellowish green. Margins strongly scabrous. Sheathing; basal sheaths brown. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in spikes linear to linear-cylindrical, 3–5 cm long, 2.2–3 mm wide, androgynous with a short staminate part 6–12 mm long densely flowered pistillate glumes pale yellowish brown membranous suberect elliptic to oblong–ovate 3.7–5 mm long 109–2.5 mm wide apex obtuse the margins broadly hyaline or tinged brown towards the apex midnerve green perigynium membranous green glaucous suberect, ellipsoid to rhombic–ellipsoid, plano-convex, slightly shorter than the subtending glume, 3.9–5.2 mm long, 1.3–1.5 mm wide, acute at both ends, many–veined, occasionally puberulent distally, the margins acute, densely ciliate ⅖–1⁄2 from the base to the orifice with spreading bristly hairs, the beak short, conical, obliquely truncate; rachilla 5.7–6.5 mm long, exerted from the perigynium, 1.7–2.8 mm long, the apical hook 1–1.3 mm long. Flowers unisexual. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens 3. Ovary superior.

Fruit: Achenes dark brown; oblong–obovoid; trigonous; 2.7–3 mm long. Seeds 1; seed coat thin; free from pericarp; embryo basal; endosperm abundant.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring in open; exposed <i>Deschampsia</i> grassland.

Elevation Range: 2,150–2,350 m.