Japan Flora: Rhizomes tufted, with ascending short innovations; culms slender, 20-40 cm. long; leaves somewhat flaccid, with flat blades 2-3 mm. wide, much elongate after flowering, the basal sheaths stramineous, early splitting into brown fibers; spikes usually 2, the terminal staminate, clavate, 10-15 mm. long, densely many-flowered, brownish, the lateral one pistillate, ovoid to globose, about 10 mm. long and as wide, few­flowered, the bracts short-bladed, short-sheathing, the pe­duncle scarcely exserted from the sheath; pistillate scales nar­rowly ovate, abrupdy short-awned, yellowish brown; perigynia longer than the scales, obliquely spreading, 7-8 mm. long, obovate-ellipsoid, yellowish green, inconspicuously nerved, obsoletely 3-angled, abruptly long-beaked, bifid at apex; achenes without appendage at apex.  May-July. Grassy slopes and thickets in mountains.

Hokkaido, Honshu. e. Siberia, Korea, Sakhalin, and s. Kuriles.

f. pallida (Kitag.) T. Koyama. With long-cixeping rhizomes. Honshu, Kyushu.