Cyperus niveus Retz.

Perennial, 10-30 cm; rhizome short, horizontal, with tillers. Stem c. 1 mm diam., smooth, grey-green, upper part trigonous, lower part almost terete, base swollen. Leaves up to nearly equalling stem, somewhat flexuous; sheaths 20-40 mm, brown or greyish-brown, not shiny, rather soft, mouth wide, slightly concave; ligule 0; blades to c. 20 cm, 1-2 mm wide, channelled or folded, often curved, grey-green, margins scabrous, apex long, acute, trigonous, scabrous. Inflorescence a single globose group of 4-10 sessile or subsessile spikes, 15-35 mm diam., white or yellow-brown; 2-3 bracts foliose, to c. 60 mm, channelled or folded, scabrous. Spikes 10-20 x to c. 5 mm, narrowly ovoid, compressed, with up to 40 glumes, glume-like bract c. 4 mm, acute, glume-like prophyll c. 2.5 mm, blunt; rachis quadrangular, angles rounded, not winged, internodes c. 0.8 mm; glumes c. 3.5 mm, tightly distichous, slightly keeled, white or yellow-brown, mucronate, sides with 4-5 rather inconspicuous veins, margins scarious. Stamens 3, anthers c. 1.5 mm. Nut c. 1.7 mm, obovoid, trigonous, dark brown or almost black, shiny, very weakly papillose.

C. Asia, Himalaya, India, N. Burma, Indo-China, S.W. China.

Distribution: From E Iran to Myanmar; also in E Africa (R.W.Haines & Lye, Sedges and Rushes of E. Africa, 1983).

600-2900 m

Fl. Per.: April - June.

Rock crevices, road sides.