Japan Flora: Coarsely spreading-hirsute perennial with short, stout rhizomes; stems scapi- form, few, ascending from a decumbent base, 12-20 cm. long, sometimes branched near the base; radical leaves oblanceolate or broadly so, 7-15 cm. long, 1-2.5 cm. wide, acute, gradually narrowed to a petiole I ike base, with short and long hairs on both sides, the cauline leaves few, smaller, sessile, 1-6 cm. long, becoming bracteate in the uppermost; racemes simple, not branched, loosely several-flowered, with few bracts at base, the pedicels deflexed after anthesis, 8-15 mm. long; calyx-segments narrowly ovate, accrescent after anthesis, 5-8 mm. long; corolla about 1 cm. across, blue; nutlets smooth, about 3 mm. long. Apr-May. Woods in mountains.

Honshu (Iwashiro Prov. and southw.), Shikoku, Kyushu.

f. albiflora S. Okamoto. Flowers white.

var. echinosperma Kitam. Nut­lets short-glochidiate on margin of the crown.  Shikoku rare.