Japan Flora: Plants long-stolon- iferous the rhizomes creeping; leaves evergreen, 30-60 cm. long, 2.5-3 cm. wide, green above, somewhat paler beneath, glabrous, the midrib not prominent; scapes 30-70 cm. long, the branches 3-10 cm. long, rather many-flowered, the bracts conduplicate, green, acuminate, the lower ones ensiform, the bracteoles 3-10 cm. long, ovate-oblong, subobtuse, the pedicels as long as to longer than the bracteoles; flowers about 5 cm. across, pale blue-purple, the outer perianth-segments obovate, denticulate, crested, the inner segments relatively small, obliquely ascending; stigma-appendage fimbriate; fruit very rarely maturing. Apr.-May. Wooded hills;

Honshu, Shi-koku, Kyushu; common. China.