Japan Flora: Much-branched annual; stems erect, 50-100 cm. long, soft-pubescent above; leaves narrowly oblanceolate, lanceolate, or narrowly so, 2-5 cm. long, 2-8 mm. wide, subacuminate to acute, gradually narrowed below and petioled in the lower ones, subtrinerved, more or less long-pilose; flowers few, in axillary fascicles, sessile, pale green, often forming a terminal spike by the reduction of the upper leaves; perianth urceolate-globose, depressed, 5-merous, the segments subdeltoid, the wing on back horizontal, spreading, subchartaceous; broadly obovate, enclosed in the slightly accrescent perianth； Aug.-Oct Cultivated for making brooms. Europe to s. Asia and China.

var. littorea Makino. Stems rather strongly flexuous, with ascending to nearly spreading branches. Sept.-Oct. Near seashores; Honshu (Tokaidd Distr. and westw.), Shikoku, Kyushu. Korea.