Japan Flora: Soft, green, glabrous, peren nial herb; stems 15-30 cm. long, ascending to erect and un-branched below, often declined and branched above, rather fleshy or juicy, terete, short-decumbent at base; leaves 2-seriate, alternate, rather thin and soft, oblique, narrowly ovate, 1.5-7 cm. long, 8-20 mm. wide, elongate and long-caudate with an obtuse tip, sessile, penninerved, with 2-4(-5) coarse teeth; staminate glomerules pedunculate, 1-3 cm. long, the pistillate ones small, axillary, sessile, the bracts slightly puterulous above; achenes pale, about 0.6 mm. long, loosely warty. May-July. Moist shaded places in mountains; Honshu (Kanto Distr. and xvestw.), Shikoku, Kyushu.

var. majus Maxim. Plants rather large; stems 20-50 cm. long; leaves 5-12 cm. long, 2- 4 cm. wide, with 5-12 coarse teeth on each side, the bracts broadly lanceolate to elliptic; achenes about 0.8 nun. long, nearly smooth. May-July. Moist shaded places in mountains; Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu.