Carex doenitzii ("Kotanukiran")

Japanese name: コタヌキラン （小狸蘭）
Scientific name: Carex doenitzii

[Overview]
A perennial growing in dry grasslands and rocky places in the subalpine zone.
It is often seen in volcanic areas.
It has a short rhizome.
The leaves are linear, about 0.3–0.5 cm wide, and slightly powdery white on the underside.
The leaf bases form sheaths that are dark blood-red, hard and glossy, and give off fibrous netting.
The stem grows 30–60 cm tall and bears 2–3 spikelets at the tip; the upper 1–2 spikelets are male and thick and linear.
The lower spikelets are female, elliptic, 1.5–3 cm long, and hang down on slender stalks.
The female scales are dark blood-red and lanceolate, with a pointed tip that sometimes ends in an awn.
The perigynia are slightly flattened, narrowly ovate to elliptic, about 0.4–0.7 cm long, and sparsely covered with small prickles (hairs).
The top of the perigynium forms a long, slender beak whose tip is deeply 2-cleft.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by division.
The seeds need light to germinate, so cover them only very thinly.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site.
In midsummer it is better kept cool in partial shade.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, water if sunny weather continues and the soil becomes dry.
If a base fertilizer is applied, no further fertilizing is particularly necessary.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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