Japan Flora: radical leaves 6-15 cm. long, 2-5 mm. wide; inflorescence of several peduncled heads; flowers tawny to red-brown; perianth-segments about 2.5 mm. long, acute to cuspidate at apex; anthers narrowly oblong, as long as or slightly longer than the perianth; caruncle half as long as the seed.
Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu. Widely distributed in temperate regions of the N. Hemisphere and Australia.
var. kjellmanniana (Miyabe & Kudo) G. Sam. Somewhat stouter, with dark to black-brown flowers; caruncle 1/3 as long as the seed, reported from Hokkaido (Ishikari Prov.). n. Kuriles, and Kamchatka.