Botanical name: Carex nivalis    Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Synonyms: Carex griffithii, Carex gilesii

Alpine Sedge is a tufte perennial herb, 1-2 ft tall, growing in clumps. Stem is erect or base ascending, sharply trigonous, smooth, papillose, grey-green. Leaves are about half of stem length, sheaths 3-5 cm, wide and conspicuous, grey or yellowish-brown, sometimes reddish, margin of scarious side concave. Leaf blades are 3-9 mm wide, flat, margins recurved, long pointed, grey-green, both sides papillose near scabrous tip. Flower spikes are 3-5, dark purple-red, club-shaped, 2-3.5 cm long. Upper 1 or 2 are male, stalkless, remaining spikes female, with slender peduncles, lowest one sometimes remote. Female glumes are dark purple-red, lanceshaped or oblong. Utricles are dark purple-red, pale at base, longer than glume, elliptic or ovate. Alpine Sedge is found high in the Himalayas, from Afghanistan to Sikkim, at altitudes of 3800-4900 m. Flowering: June-July.

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The flower labeled Alpine Sedge is ...