Fewflowered Yelloweyed Grass

Herbs tufted. Leaf sheath 1.5--6 cm; leaf blade narrowly linear, 8--22 cm × 1--3 mm, striate when dry, margin sparsely papillose, apex acute to acuminate. Peduncle 5--35 cm × 1--1.5 mm, subterete. Spikes globose to ovoid, 6--13 × 6--11 mm; basal bracts elliptic, papillose along apical 1/2 of midvein, apex emarginate to obtuse; median bracts suborbicular to broadly obovate, 3--5 × 3--4 mm, apical 1/3 with a triangular, papillose patch, midvein dark brown, thickened, margin membranous, apex spinulose. Lateral sepals boat-shaped, 3.5--4.5 × ca. 1.5 mm, membranous, keel narrow, coarsely serrulate, apex subacute; median sepal hooded, ca. 3.5 mm. Petals yellow; limb obovate, 2.5--3.5 mm; claw 3--4 mm. Stamens 0.9--1.3 mm; anthers broadly ovate; inner locule shorter than outer one; connective widened, apex obtuse. Staminodes 2-brachiate, shorter than stamens. Ovary obovoid. Style 1.2--2 mm; stigma capitate. Capsule ovoid to ellipsoid, 4--5 mm. Seeds 0.4--0.5 mm. Fl. Sep--Nov, fr. Oct--Dec.

Nepal, Bengal, Ceylon, Burma, China, Malaysia, Australia.

Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Jiangxi, Yunnan [Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia].

200-1000 m

Mountain valleys, swamps, fields, damp sandy soils; 300--900 m.

Xyris pauciflora var. oryzetorum Miquel.