Japan Flora: Perennial herb; stems elongate, much branched, glabrous, sometimes scandent; leaves broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, 4-10 cm. long, 3-6 cm. wide, glabrous or with few rather fleshy hairs on nerves beneath, abruptly acuminate to acute, truncate at base, the petioles short, the sheaths membranous, obliquely truncate, nerved, 1-1.5 cm. long; inflorescence globose, an erect terminal panicle, densely 10- to 20-flowered, 6-10 mm. across, the peduncles often with scattered fleshy hairs; flowers white, the perianthsegments about 3 mm. long, slightly accrescent, to 4 mm. long after flowering, slighdy fleshy; achenes glabrous, black, trigonous, ovoid-globose, about 2.5 mm. long, dull. Thickets and hedges in lowlands and hills;

Honshu (Izu Isis' Kii Prov. and Chugoku Distr.), Shikoku, Kyushu; common southw. China, Ryukyus, and Formosa.