Kobresia schoenoides - Rush Bog-Sedge

Rush Bog-Sedge is a rather robust rush-like perennial herb, 15-47 cm tall. Roots are brown, velvety. Stems are 1-2 mm in diameter, round or obtusely trigonous, distinctly nerved, smooth, yellowish green. Leaves are 1/2 to 2/3 of stem length. Sheaths are 2.5-6 cm, blade-less, stiff, persistent, yellow brown, glossy, mouth margin slightly oblique. Ligule is about 0.4 mm, arch of attachment to as high as wide, blades up to 3 mm wide, involute, upright, rather stiff, thick, margins finely scabrous, tip pointed, rough. Inflorescences are 1.5-2.5 cm x 6-8 mm, ellipsoid, sometimes nearly spherical, reminiscent of a spike, but composed of more than 10, short, imbricate branches with one or occasionally several basal pistillate flowers, and 3-10 staminate flowers above, tip with 10-15 staminate flowers. Bracts are glume-like, 3.2-5.6 mm, lowest bract sometimes leaflike, almost sheath-less, to about half of inflorescence length. Partial inflorescences are 5-8 x about 2.5 mm, with glume-like. Nut is 2.3-3.5 x 1.2-1.4 mm, including 0.2-0.3 mm style base and 0.5-0.6 mm distinct stipe, obovoid, trigonous, plano-convex, mucronate, grey brown, glossy, finely net-veined. Rush Bog-Sedge is found in the Himalayas, from Afghanistan to Sikkim, on mountain slopes above treeline, 3800-4600 m. Flowering: June-August.