Japan Flora: Rhi­zomes abbreviated or very shortly elongate, loosely to densely tufted; culms 50-70 cm. long, soft, glabrous, acutely 3-anglcd; leaf-blades flat, 5-10 mm. wide, soft, bright or yellowish green, the sheaths pale; spikes 4 or 5, erect, the terminal staminate, linear, pale, 1-1.5 cm. long, peduncled (sessile in forma ochrolepis (Franch.) T. Koyama), the lateral pistillate, dis­tant, narrowly oblong, 1.5-3 cm. long, the lower long- peduncled, the bracts leaflike, long-sheathing; pistillate scales ovate, pale green; perigynia longer than the scales, 4-4.5 mm. long, obliquely spreading, ovate-oblong, obtusely 3-angled, membranous, glabrous, gradually long-beaked, with an ob­liquely truncate hyaline tip; stigmas 3.  June-July. Wet places in lowlands and mountains; Hokkaido, Honshu (n. distr.).  Sakhalin, and s. Kuriles.

var. xnacroglossa (Fr. & Sav.) Ohwi. Plant more slender; leaf-blades glaucous-green, usually narrower; pistillate spikes oblong, rather few-flowered, 1-1.5 cm. long; stigmas 3.  

f. subsessilis Ohwi. Perigynia to 8 mm. long.  Wet places in lowlands; Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu. s. Korea.

var. vaniotii (Lev.) Ohwi. Plant slender; leaves vivid green, 2-5 mm. wide; culms 20-30 cm. long; perigynia suberect, obtusely angled, ovate-fusiform, narrower than in the typical phase.  June-July. Wet places in subalpine regions; Honshu (n. and centr. distr., chiefly on the Japan Sea side).