Japan Flora: Plants rather stout, erect, simple, 50-100 cm. high; leaves alternate, broadly elliptic, the upper oblong to narrowly so, 10-20 cm. long, (2-) 5-15 cm. wide, glabrous on both sides or nearly so, sheathed at base; inflorescence 15-25 cm. long, with short papillose hairs, the several branches rather stout, ascending, the ultimate bracts broadly lanceolate, 3-6 mm. long, the pedi­cels obliquely spreading, 7-12 mm. long; tepals white, spread­ing or more or less erect, oblong, 4-7.5 mm. long; stamens slightly longer than the tepals; capsules erect, narrowly ovate, about 2 cm. long, tapered above.  July-Sept. Wet meadows or bogs in mountains; Hokkaido, Honshu (n. and centr. distr.).

var. lasiophyllum Nakai. Leaves pi­lose beneath, especially on the nerves. Occurs with the typical phase

var. micranthum Satake. Leaves with papillose hairs beneath; inflorescence rather large, loosely flowered; tepals distinctly shorter than the stamens.  May. Honshu (Mikawa Prov.)

Japan Flora: Plants 20-60 cm. high, papillose hairy above; leaves few, the radical and lower cauline broadly lanceolate to narrowly oblong, glabrous, acuminate, 15-20 cm. long, 2-4 cm. wide, gradually narrowed below, the upper ones linear; flow­ers green, rarely brown-purple, 12-15 mm. in diameter, the pedicels 5-12 mm. long, the ultimate bracts lanceolate, acumi­nate, about twice as long as the pedicels, the tepals narrowly oblong, ascending in fruit; capsules elliptic, about 12 mm. long. July-Aug, Alpine slopes.

Honshu (n. and centr. distr.).