Carex oxyandra var. oxyandra ("Himesuge")

Japanese name: ヒメスゲ （姫菅）
Scientific name: Carex oxyandra var. oxyandra

[Overview]
A perennial 10–30 cm tall, sometimes 50 cm, growing in forests and grasslands in the mountains and alpine zone.
It sometimes produces thin stolons.
The stem has a sheath tinged deep red at the base, with a slight network of fibers.
The stem is thin and soft, and falls to the ground by the time the fruit ripens.
The leaves are flat, linear, 0.2–0.3 cm wide, and bright green.
Spikelets are borne at the stem tip; the terminal spikelet is male, and 2–5 lateral spikelets are female, all ovate-round and 0.5–0.7 cm long.
Except for the lowest one, the spikelets are borne close to one another.
The female scales are deep purple, ovate, and pointed at the tip.
The perigynia are obovate with three dull ridges, about 3 mm long, with short hairs and no veins.
The perigynia become whitish when ripe, and the upper end gradually narrows into a beak.

[Notes]
The name derives from the plant being small overall.

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