Eleocharis ochrostachys Steud., Syn. Pl. Glumac. 2(7): 80. 1855.

Scirpus ochrostachys (Steud.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 758. 1891.

Type.

Indonesia, Java, 17 August 1842, H. Zollinger 291 [holotype: P (P00329735 image!)] .

Description.

Plant 30-110 cm tall, stoloniferous, tufted. Sheaths 2, tubular, purplish-red to pale green or hyaline, 4-12 cm, mouth obliquely truncate, apex acute. Culm round, sometimes obscurely 3-angled, lacking septa. Spikelet cylindrical to ovoid, 0.7-3.2 cm with many spirally arranged glumes; lowermost glume empty. Glume ovate, leathery, 3.5-4.5 × 2-3.5 mm, margin hyaline, apex obtuse. Persistent style base flattened, up to half the width of achene. Stigmas 2 or 3. Stamens 3, as long as perianth bristles; anther 2 mm. Perianth bristles 6 to 8, almost twice or more than twice the length of achene, retrorsely scabrous. Achene biconvex, obovoid, 1.5-2 × 1.2-1.5 mm, yellowish-brownish, shiny, surface longitudinally striate with more than 25 rows of transversely linear-oblong epidermal cells, apex with an annular thickening, forming a small neck. (Fig. 2A).

Distribution.

Nepal (new record), India, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and New Guinea.

Ecology.

Grows in marshy areas, floating islands, lake edges and waterlogged fields; 70-762 m elev.

Phenology.

Flowering in August-September; fruiting in October-December.

Specimens examined.

Nepal, Kaski: Pokhara valley, Begnas Lake, 690 m elev., 17 September 2019, P. Bhandari & V. Adhikari KAS14 (KATH); Kaski: Pokhara Valley, Gunde Lake, 28°11'30.29"N, 84°2'21.58"E, 762 m elev., 09 Dec 2020, P. Bhandari & V. Thapa 20120912 (KATH); Kaski: Pokhara Valley, Neureni Lake, 28°11'30.37"N, 84°2'52.30"E, 749 m elev., 30 Dec 2020, P. Bhandari & N.L. Bhandari 20123002 (KATH); Jhapa: Kachankawal RM, Aambari Road, Thulo Kechana, 26°25'36.56"N, 87°59'15.75"E, 70 m elev., 05 Feb 2021, P. Bhandari, A. Neupane & S. Chaudhary 21020505 (KATH) .