Japan Flora: Evergreen; stems densely tufted, densely leaved, ascending to spreading, 5-12 cm. long, 2.5-3 mm. wide, branched, gray-green on upper side, pale green beneath, flat, the branches sparingly forked in one plane; roots all at the base, interwoven to form a simple or rarely fewbranched false stem to 15 cm. long; leaves of two forms, in 4 rows, ascending, the larger or lower ones ovate, 1.5-2 mm. long, short-acuminate, filiform-tipped, serrulate, the margins cartilaginous, the smaller or upper leaves slightly smaller, suberect, scarcely oblique; spikes slightly narrower than the sterile branchlets, regularly 4-angled, the bracts ovate-deltoid, about 1.5 mm. long, acuminate, awn-tipped, serrulate, green, white- cartilaginous on margin. Shaded rocks;

Hokkaido (Oshima Prov. including Okushiri Isl.), Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; rather common. Korea, Ryukyus, Formosa, Philippines and China to n. India.