Erioscirpus comosus (Wall.) Palla

Erioscirpus comosus resembles many spiked Eriophorum spp., but inflorescence is much larger, multiple spike or anthelodium. There are also anatomical differences and ecological requirements deviating from all Eriophorum spp.

Caespitose perennial, 15-45(-70) cm (excl. bracts). Rhizome short, erect or ascending. Stem 1-2 mm diam., terete or subterete, smooth or slightly scabrous. Leaves much overtopping stem; sheaths to c. 50 mm, brown or dark brown, glossy, mouth oblique; blades to much more than 50 cm, 0.5-4 mm wide, rigid, channeled, grey green, margins and mid-nerve below scabrous, apex long attenuate, flexuous, acute, scabrous. Inflorescence 5-12 cm; bracts, lowest 4-6 to c. 50 cm; primary branches 4 to more than 10, up to c. 10 cm, smooth; secondary anthelodiums up to 40 mm; secondary branches up to 25 mm; tertiary branches to c. 5 mm, with single spike or cluster of 2-4, mostly, sessile spikes. Spikes 5-14 x 2-3 mm, fusiform or narrowly ovoid, usually with less than 50 glumes; basal glume-like bract c. 2.1 mm; 2-6 glumes above sterile; glumes 2.6-4 x c. 1 mm, ovate, sides brown with red-brown, short striations, apex truncate, midnerve strong, mucro c. 0.5 mm. Perianth bristles numerous, c. 2-3 times as long as glumes, colourless, flexuous, smooth or with a few retrorse barbs; anthers 1.4-2.6 mm, connective tip 0.3-0.6 mm. Nut 3-3.4 x 0.3-0.6 mm, fusiform or narrowly ovoid, with tip 0.4-0.5 mm, obtusely trigonous, plano-convex, black-brown, finely reticulate and papillose.

Afghanistan, Himalaya, N. Burma, Tonkin, China.

Distribution: SE Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, east in Himalayas to Myanmar, China and N Vietnam.

500-2600 m

Fl. Per.: March - April.

Rock crevices or shallow soil, on both granitic and calcarous rocks; 700-2300 m.

Scirpus comosus Wall. in Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. 1: 234. 1820. Eriophorum comosum (Wall.) Wall. ex Nees in Wight, Contr. Bot. Ind.: 110. 1834; C.B.Clarke, l.c. 664; R.R.Stewart l.c. 94; Eriophorum arundinaceum (Wall.) Wall. ex Nees in Wight, l.c.: 110. 1834. Clarke, Ill. Cyper., Tab. 57, figs. 6-7. 1909. Tang & Wang, Fl. Reip. Pop. Sinicae 11: Tab. 14 (1961).