Japan Flora: Rhizomes short, creeping; culms loosely tufted, 20-40 cm. long, slender; radical leaves 30-40 cm. long, the blades involute, 1-4 mm. wide, or 5-6 mm. wide when flattened; culm-blades lanceolate, very short, on slightly inflated sheaths; ligules deltoid, ciliolate; panicles open, 2-3 cm. long, 1-1.5 cm. wide, pedicels usually with a few hairs at apex; spikelets usually several, ovate, 5-6 mm. long, pale yellowish brown, lustrous; glumes equal, ovate, papery, 3-nerved, slightly longer than the florets, obtuse; lemmas of the staminate florets membranous, awnless or nearly so, 4.5-55 mm. long. July-Aug. Alpine regions.

Hok­kaido (Mount Yubari); very rare.

var. intermedia (Hack.) Ohwi Lemmas of both bisexual and staminate florets distinctly short- awned. June-July. Hokkaido; very rare.