Taxonomy
Khaosokia cariocoides in habitat on limestone cliff © Stuart Lindsay
Khaosokia caricoides is a robust, tussocky, rhizomatous, dioecious perennial with erect to drooping flowering stems.
It has many crowded, drooping, narrow leaves. The inflorescence is either wholly male or female, and has the following characteristics:
- each inflorescence has 2–4 nodes
- each node has a leaf-like inflorescence bract that is longer than the inflorescence
- the spikelets are linear-cylindrical
- each floret in a spikelet has 7 perianth bristles, 3 stamens and a single style subtending 3 stigmas
- the fruit is a minute nutlet, but so far only immature fruits have been found
DNA sequencing studies suggest the plant is closely related to genera such as Carex (true sedges), Eriophorum (cotton grasses) and Trichophorum (deer grasses). It is also related to the North American genus Dulichium.
