Japan Flora: Erect annual 20-50 cm. high; stems rather soft, the branches ascending at base, glabrous or often pubescent; leaves lanceolate or broadly so, 6-12 cm. long, 1-3 cm. wide, obtuse, acute at base, loosely short-pilose or glabrous except on the nerves and margin, short-petioled, the lateral nerves not prominent, 7 to 10 pairs, the sheaths thin-membranous, 3-10 mm. long, glabrescent, witli cilia 1-2 mm. long; spikes few, terminal, cylindric, erect, 2-5 cm. long, densely many-flowered, the peduncles sometimes loosely glandular-pilose; flowers reddish, 2.5-3 mm. long, the perianth-segments with very slender nerves; achenes ovate-orbicular, compressed or trigonous, blackbrown, lustrous, about 2 mm. long. May-June (Oct.).

Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; rather common. Eurasia and N. America.