Japan Flora: Rhizomes short and stout, the roots firm; leaves oblanceolate, or subspathulate, 7-15 cm. long, 4 cm. wide, acute, short-mucronate, gradually narrowed below, green and slightly lustrous above; scapes 10-60 cm. long, elongate after flowering, with several small, greenish ap- pressed sessile lanceolate leaves, especially below; racemes 3- to 10-flowered, the pedicels 1.5-2 cm. long in fruit; flowers rose­purple, changing to purple- or brown-green in fruit, the tepals 1.5 cm. long, the anthers usually narrowly oblong; styles about 2 cm. long.  Apr.-June. Mountain thickets and meadows, sometimes ascending to the alpine zone.

Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu (rare); rather common especially northward.  Korea and Sakhalin.

var. flavida (Nakai) Ohwi Plants rather slender, the leaves slightly thinner, the margin undulate, often violascent at base; flowers white, pale green in fruit, the tepals gradually narrowed below. Apr .-June. Honshu (Kanto Distr. and westw.)

var. breviscapa (Maxim.) Ohwi The tepals slightly shorter, white to pale rose, cuneate below, the fruit reddish to yellowish green. Mountains; Kyushu