Distribution
Ukraine

Native to: Afghanistan, Albania, Altay, Amur, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, Central European Rus, China North-Central, Chita, Corse, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, Mongolia, Netherlands, North Caucasus, North European Russi, Northwest European R, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Qinghai, Romania, Sardegna, Sicilia, South European Russi, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, West Siberia, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yugoslavia.

Introduced into: Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Newfoundland, North Dakota, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Herbs, perennial, to 8 dm. Rhizomes short-creeping or densely branching, if densely branching herb appearing cespitose. Cataphylls 1-3. Leaves basal and cauline, 1-2; auricles 0.3-0.5 mm, scarious to membranous; blade flat to slightly channeled, 5-35 cm x 0.8-2 mm, margins entire. Inflorescences 5-60-flowered, lax, loose to moderately congested, 1.5-8 cm; primary bract usually exceeding inflorescence. Flowers: bracteoles 2; tepals brownish, ovate to oblong, 1.7-2.7 mm; inner and outer series nearly equal, apex obtuse; stamens 6, filaments 0.5-0.7 mm, anthers 0.6-1 mm; style 0.3 mm. Capsules brown or darker, pseudo-3-locular, widely ellipsoid to obovoid, 2.5-3.5 x 1.4-1.8 mm, exceeding tepals. Seeds light brown, ellipsoid to lunate, 0.35-0.556 mm, not tailed. 2n = 44.
Flowering and fruiting late spring-early summer. Disturbed ground, especially ditches, along railroads and banks of canals and roadsides; frequently in saline or alkaline soils; 1500-2100 m.