Carex borii Nelmes

Karakorum (4240-)4300-5030(-5250) m; ”Dry to relatively humid turf, on slightly inclined fine gravel up to the highest turf spots of the free gelifluction belt, where on margins of open, rapidly moving frost scree dominant and community-building”; ”Rare and very local in lower alpine belt in shady water-surplus habitats” (Dickoré 1995).

Tufted perennial, 3-10 cm. Rhizome short, with tillers and emitting ascending subterranean stolons. Stem obtusely trigonous to terete, grooved, smooth. Leaves from 2/3 to equalling stem; sheaths up to 2 cm, brown to yellow-brown, rather soft, mat, margin of scarious side deeply oblique; ligule to 0.3 mm, nearly straight; blades c. 0.5 mm wide, conduplicate, flexuous or curved, margins smooth, apex long attenuate, smooth or slightly scabrous. Inflorescence of 1-3 androgynous, or of 1 androgynous and 1-2 pistillate spikes, overlapping or lowest remote. Bracts clasping, mostly shorter than their spike. Spikes 5-12 x 3-5 mm, ovoid to obovoid, sessile or subsessile; female glumes 2.5-3 x 1.5-2 mm, obtuse to acute, yellowish and with hyaline margin to dark brown, midnerve yellowish, sides nerveles; utricles 2-2.5 x 1.1-1.3 mm, widely fusiform to obovoid, slightly inflated, lustrous, upper part yellowish or dark brown, weakly papillose, beak c. 0.1 mm. Stigmas 3. Nut 1.7-2 x 0.8-1 mm, ellipsoid to obovoid, plano-convex, trigonous, reticulate, yellowish to olive brown.

Distribution: From S. Tadjikistan and Gilgit to India (Himachal Padesh).

Fl. Per.: June.