Japan Flora: Gla­brous, slightly glaucous erect perennial, 30-60 cm. high, with thick stout rhizomes; stems terete, with 10-20 pairs of leaves; lower leaves reduced to short sheaths, the upper leaves broadly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 3-6 cm. long, 8-25 mm. wide, gradually narrowed to the tip, obtuse, broadly cuneate to rounded at base, glaucescent, entire, 3-nerved, sessile; bracts leaflike; flowers 1-7, on upper part of stem, sessile, 22-30 mm. long, dark blue; calyx-tube 6-8 mm. long, subtruncate at apex, the lobes rather unequal, very short to short-linear; plaits of corolla truncate; capsules stipitate, broadly lanceo­late, as long as the corolla; seeds minutely reticulate, caudate at both ends.  Aug.-Sept. Wet slopes and bogs in high mountains;

Honshu (centr. distr.)