Japan Flora: Densely tufted glabrous perennial; culms slender, erect, 10-25 cm. long, obtusely angled, smooth; basal sheaths broad, lustrous, dark chestnut-brown; leaves as long as the culm, filiform, sulcate; spike 1.5-3 cm. long, linear, with few loose spikelets; terminal spikelet staminate, several-flow­ ered, the others androgynous, 2-flowered; scales thin-mem­branous, broadly ovate, obtuse, chcstnut-brown, lustrous; peri- gynia ovate, 4 mm. long, free on margin, chestnut-brown; achenes obovate-oblong, 3 mm. long, brown, lustrous, obso- letely 3-angled; stigmas 3.  July-Aug. Dry alpine slopes.

Hokkaido, Honshu (centr. distr.); rare. Kuriles, n. Korea, Siberia to Europe, and N. America.