Japan Flora: White, fleshy, saprophytic herb, becoming black when dry; stems erect, simple, terete, 10-30 cm. long, with leaf like scales; scales suberect, narrowly oblong or narrowly ovate- oblong, 1-2 cm. long, 5-8 mm. wide, obtuse to rounded, rather fleshy, glabrous or only slightly pubescent under the flower; flowers terminal, solitary, tubular-campanulatc, nodding, about 2 cm. long; sepals deciduous, scalelike; petals 5, fleshy, cuneate or obovate-oblong, erect, irregularly denticulate in upper part, usually long-pubesccnt inside, gibbous, deciduous; capsules ellipsoid-globose, about 12 mm. long, erect; style thick, 3-4 mm. long, the stigma glabrous. Aug.-Oct. Damp woods in hills and mountains;

Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu. N. America, e. Asia, and India.