Species nova Carici handelii Kük. affinis est, a qua spicis terminalibus gynaecandris, lateralibus pistillatis, squamis pistillatis apice obtusis, perigyniis brevioribus differt.

Type: — CHINA. Yunnan Province: Zhongdian County (Diqing), San Shang Ya, E of Xiaozhongdian, Dry mossy limestone rocks, 27º40’46’’N, 99º46’08’’E, elevation 3640 m, 16 June 1993, B. Aldén, J. C. M. Alexander, D. G. Long, J. R. D. McBeath, H. J. Noltie & M. F. Watson (KEG) 1453 (holotype, E!).

Perennial herbs. Rhizomes long, creeping, indurate, obliquely ascending. Culms 8–17 cm tall, compressed trigonous, nearly filiform, slender, soft and smooth, glabrous, with pale grayish brown, persistent bladeless sheaths at base. Leaves nearly equaling the culms; blades 1–2 mm wide, flat, scabrous on distal margins. Involucral bracts leaf-like or distal ones setaceous, nearly equaling the inflorescence, sheathing; sheaths 5–10(–15) mm long, with the most proximal one longer than the others. Spikes 3 or 4; terminal spike gynecandrous, clavate, 7–12 mm long, with 3–5 pistillate flowers at apex; lateral spikes remote, shortly cylindrical, 5–13 mm long, 2.5–3 mm wide, the lowest exerted from base of culm; peduncles filiform, exerted from sheaths. Staminate scales ovate, 3–3.5 mm long, yellowish white, acuminate at apex, with costa green, 3-veined. Pistillate scales broadly ovate, 2.2–2.5 mm long, yellowish white, obtuse at apex, with costa green, 3-veined. Perigynia obovoid, trigonous (excluding beak), longer than pistillate scales (including beak), 3–3.5 mm long, greenish yellow, membranaceous, densely hispidulous, 2-veined laterally and inconspicuously thinly veined, attenuate and shortly stipitate at base, gradually contracted into a ca. 0.7 mm long beak at apex; orifice obliquely lobed, sparsely hirtellous at margins. Achenes tightly enveloped, obovoid, trigonous, yellowish brown, ca. 2 mm long, attenuate at base, truncate at apex; styles glabrous, not thickened at base; stigmas 3.

Distribution and Habitat: —Endemic to China. The species is known from Zhongdian and Deqin counties of Yunnan Province, Hengduan Mountains. It grows on rocks or in mixed forests at 3640–3800 m elevation.

Phenology: —Flowers and fruits of Carex pararadicalis were collected from early to mid June.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the habit of this new species, which is similar to that of Carex radicalis Boott (1858: 56).

Additional collections (paratypes): — CHINA. Yunnan Province: Deqin County (Diqing), Bai Ma Shan, in mixed forest, 28º24’N, 98º58’E, elevation 3800 m, 6 June 1993, B. Aldén, J. C. M. Alexander, D. G. Long, J. R. D. McBeath, H. J. Noltie & M. F. Watson (KEG) 904 (E!).

Similar species: — Carex pararadicalis belongs to C. sect. Chlorostachyae Meinshausen (1901: 283),characterized by having short beaked or beakless perigynia, culms slender and styles not thickened. It is similar to C. handelii Kükenthal (in Handel-Mazzetti 1936: 1268) in having rhizomes long and creeping and perigynia hispidulous, but differs by having the terminal spike gynecandrous, lateral spikes pistillate, and pistillate scales obtuse at apex, shorter than perigynia. In Carex handelii, all spikes androgynous, pistillate scales acuminate or short-awned at apex, longer than perigynia.