Japan Flora: Rhizomes extremely short; stems terete, 6-15 cm. long; leaves aggregated at the lower part of the cnlm, much shorter than the culm, somewhat terete, 1-5 cm. long, 1 mm. wide, the auricles rather large, ovate, obtuse; head solitary, terminal, usually 3-flowered, the bract scalelike, reddish brown, nearly as long as the head; flowers 4 mm. long or 6 mm. long inclusive of the capsule, short-pedicelled; perianth-segments equal in length, ovate-lanceolate, obtuse, somewhat membranous, reddish brown; stamens 6, usually as long as the perianth, the anthers much shorter than the filaments; capsules ovoid, obtuse; seeds with a white taillike appendage on each end, 2 mm. long. Aug.-Sept. Alpine regions; rare.
Hokkaido (Mount Daisetsu), Honshu (Mount Shirouma in Shinano). Korea, Kamchatka, Siberia, China, Himalayas, and Europe.