Carex scaposa

Carex scaposa, also known as hua ting tai cao in Chinese, is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to eastern parts of Asia.

Description

The sedge has a tufted habit and has a woody rhizome. The lateral culms have a triangular cross-section with a height of and a width of and are surrounded at the base by pale brown sheaths. It has tufted basal leaves along the length of the stem which can be shorter or longer than the culms. The glabrous leaves have an elliptic to elliptic-linear shape with a length of and a width of and a pointed end.

Taxonomy

It was first described by the botanist Charles Baron Clarke in 1887 in Botanical Magazine. The type specimen was collected by Augustine Henry in China between 1884 and 1887. There are two varieties; Carex scaposa var. hirsuta and Carex scaposa var. scaposa. There are two synonyms; Carex pandanophylla and Carex scaposa var. marantacea.

Distribution

The plant is native to temperate areas in south eastern and south central parts of China, in Vietnam and Taiwan.