Japan Flora: Stems erect, 5-20 cm. long, simple or sparingly branched, 4-angled, glabrous to loosely appressed-pilose, with 4 or 5 distinct pairs of opposite leaves; leaves sessile, ovate- elliptic to oblong or sometimes broadly ovate, 1.5-3 cm. long, 1-2 cm. wide, subrounded to subacute, rounded to subacute at base, sparingly appressed-pilose on upper side, the lateral nerves of 2 (-3)-pairs, rising near the base; inflorescence termi­nal and solitary, 10- to 20-flowered, the peduncles 1-2 cm. long; involucral bracts 4, broadly elliptic to ovate-orbicnlar, sometimes rhombic, 6-8 mm. long, subobtuse, white, 5- to 7- nerved; flowers short-pedicelled; petals purplish; ovary usu­ally sparingly appressed-hairy; fruit globose, red, 5-6 mm. across, glabrous; stones slightly grooved. July. Coniferous woods in lowlands;

Hokkaido (e. distr.); rare. Europe, Siberia, Korea, Manchuria, Sakhalin, Kuriles, Kamchatka, and N. America.