Scleria rugosa R.Br., Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland. 240. 1810.

Type.

Australia, Queensland, Endeavour River, 1770, J. Banks & D. Solander s.n. [lectotype, designated by Simpson 2019, pg. 207: BM (BM000833641 image!)] .

Description.

Plant annual. Stem suberect, culm tufted, glabrous, 3-angled, to 10 cm long. Basal sheath glabrous, leaf sheath sparsely ciliate, not winged; contraligule round, barbate. Leaf-blade linear, glabrous, 2.5-7 × 0.25-3 cm. Involucral bracts leaf-like, to 11 cm long, glabrous. Inflorescence paniculate with 1-3 distant branches, each branch, with 1-3 spikelets. Peduncle recurved, slightly winged, margin ciliate. Spikelets unisexual; male spikelets linear-lanceolate, shortly peduncled, margin ciliate, glumes to 2 mm long, lanceolate, the mid-vein of the two outer ones ciliate; female spikelets with up to 5 glumes. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, 2-4 × 1-1.5 mm, beset with long, patent hairs, vein prolonged into a mucro. Achene spherical-globose, 1.5 × 1.5 mm, whitish or greyish, smooth, shiny, apex with a whitish beak. Disc thick, lobe yellowish-brown, shallowly 3-lobed, rounded-obtuse, margin reflexed. (Fig. 2I).

Distribution.

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

Ecology.

Understorey of Schima - Castanopsis forest and edges of water canal; 71-755 m elev.

Phenology.

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

Specimens examined.

Nepal, Kaski: Pokhara Valley, Niureni Lake, 28°11'32.96"N, 84°2'53.63"E, 755 m elev., 08 Sep 2020, P. Bhandari 20090802 (KATH); Kaski: Pokhara Valley, Niureni Lake, 28°11'32.96"N, 84°2'53.63"E, 749 m elev., 30 Dec 2020, P. Bhandari & N.L. Bhandari 20123007 (KATH); Jhapa: Kachankawal RM, Baniyani, 26°26'15.94"N, 88°3'1.28"E, 71 m elev., 04 Dec 2020, S. Chaudhary 20120410 (KATH) .