Japan Flora: Stemless or nearly so; leaves tufted, narrowly linear, long- attenuate above to a filiform point, 3- to 5-nerved, 4-10 cm. long, 1-3 mm. wide; peduncles slender, 10-20 cm. long, 5- or 5- ribbed; heads globose, 4-5 mm. in diameter, dark gray, white-puberulous; involucral bracts shorter than the disc flowers, broadly ovate, acute, 1-6 mm. long, to 1 mm. wide; receptacle pilose; floral bracts obovate-cuneate, acute, 2 mm. long, white-bearded along upper margin and on the dorsal side above; flowers trimcrous, 1.5-1.8 mm. long; staminate flowers with a spathelike calyx shallowly trilobate at apex; pistillate flowers with 3 free oblong-ovate acute sepals and 3 free linear-oblong petals, the stigmas 3.       

Honshu (Kantd, Etchu, and westw.), Shikoku, Kyushu; occasional. s. Korea.