Carex halleriana

Kaba ayakotu

Densely caespitose, without rhizomes. Stems 7-25 cm, slender, ±erect, very scabrid at least above; basal sheaths brown to dark brown, becoming fibrous and persistent together with leaf bases. Leaves 1-2.5 mm broad, c. Equalling stems or slightly shorter, flat with often revolute margins, scabrid above, greyish-green. Male spike ovate, 10-17 mm; glumes pale brown. Female spikes 1-4, upper 1-3 near male, rather aggregated, subsessile;lowest bract glumaceous to leaf-like, shorter than inflorescence; lowest spikes arising from base of stem on long, separate, slender peduncles to 17 cm; spikes rather dense, but few-flowered , broadly ovoid, 6-12 mm. Female glumes 1anceolate-ovate, slightly longer than utricles, reddish-brown with greenish 3-veined mid-line, scarious-margined, acute, sometimes mucronate. Utricles greyish-olive, oblong to obovoid, 3.5-4.8 mm, bluntly trigonous, ± puberulent at least on top, many-veined, ± patent when ripening, rather abruptly contracted into short, bifid beak to 0.5 mm often curving outwards. Nut brown with short whitish stipe. Dry rocky slopes, in scrub or open woods, often on limestone, 20-1980 m.

Southern C. Europe, Mediterranean area, Crimea, Caucasia, N.W.& N. Iran, Khorassan, N.W. Africa; ?Afghanistan, Pakistan. Medit. element?