Japan Flora: Rhizomes short, slender, long-creeping; culms 30-70 cm. long, smooth; leaf-blades flat, 10-20 cm. long, 2.5-5 mm. wide, rather soft; sheaths terete, smooth, or slightly compressed on the innova- don-shoots; ligules 2-3 mm. long; panicles nodding or pendulous, sometimes nearly erect, ovate, 10-20 cm. long, the branches geminate or subverticillate, nearly smooth; spike­lets often purplish, sometimes glaucous, ovate, 6-10 mm. long, 3- to 5-flowcred; glumes lanceolate, 4-6 mm. long, acuminate, the lateral nerves prominent, reaching almost to the apex; lemmas narrowly ovate, very acute, 4-6 mm. long, 5-nerved, glabrous or with pubescent intermediate nerves, the keel and the marginal nerves pubescent on the lower half, the web elon­gate, prominent; anthers 1.5-2.5 mm. long. Grassy places in lowlands, especially near seashores. 

Hokkaido; rather com­mon and very variable. Around the Okhotsk Sea, Sakhalin, Kuriles, Kamchatka, and the Aleutians.

var. fallax (Hack.) Ohwi  Lemmas appressed-pubescent on the lower half.  Near seashores; Hokkaido; rare.

var. scabriflora (Hack.) Ohwi Lemmas scabrous with minute, hair­like aculeoli. Near seashores; Hokkaido. Sakhalin

Var. tatewakiana Ohwi. Culms 30-60 cm. long; panicles pendulous or strongly nodding; spikelets glaucous-green; lemmas narrow, gradually acuminate. Near seashores; Hokkaido (e. distr.). s. Kuriles.