Japan Flora: Rhizomes creeping； stem loosely tufted, 10-25 cm. long, about 1 mm. across, slightly compressed; cauline leaves 2 or 3, cylindrical, 7-13 cm. long, 1 mm. thick, more or less compressed, the septa perfect but not visible, the auricles ovate, obtuse, hyaline, stramineous; heads usually solitary, terminal, 1-1.3 cm. in diameter, 10- to 25-flowered, the lowest bract short, leaflike; flowers distinctly pedicellate, about 4 mm. long, castaneous or blackish brown; perianth-segments lanceo­late, acute, the inner slightly shorter than the outer; stamens 6 (rarely 3), 2/3 as long as the perianth, the anthers shorter than the filaments; capsule ellipsoidal or obovoid, obtuse, not exceeding the perianth, castaneous, rather thick; seeds obovoid, 0.5-0.6 mm. long.  Alpine regions.

Hokkaido (Mount Daisetsu). N. America and Aleutian lsls.