Plants 4–110(–135) cm. Corms globose to elongate, not forked, 8–31 mm. Leaves not appressed to inflorescences at flowering; blade linear, lanceolate, or seldom elliptic-lanceolate, 2–50 cm × 2–35(–50) mm, margins slightly to strongly curled transversely. Inflorescences green or slightly purple at base, becoming entirely green after flowering, 4–135 cm; floral bracts ovate to ovate-lanceolate, subulate, 3–30 mm. Flowers 1–25, opening sequentially, magenta, pink, to white, faintly fragrant; dorsal sepal oblanceolate, 15–31 × 5–18 mm, apex acuminate; lateral sepals occasionally reflexed distally, ovate to lanceolate, slightly falcate, 13–26 × 5–16 mm, apex apiculate to acuminate; petals obpandurate to seldom elliptic, slightly falcate, 15–28 × 4–14 mm, apex obtuse; lip 11–23 mm, middle lobe with dilated end typically anvil-shaped, seldom triangular, 5.5–21 mm wide; column 12–25 × 1–2 mm, distal end 4.5–10 mm wide; rostellum present or absent; stigma at angle to column surface. Capsules ovoid to ellipsoid, 13–30 × 5–10 mm. 2n = 26, 40, 42.
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Lf linear, to 5 dm × 4 cm, long-sheathing; scape 3–7 dm, with a loose raceme of 3–15 fls; tep rose-purple, 15–25 mm, acute; lip 15–20 mm, with a narrow basal part, the summit broadly flabellate, rose purple, crested on its face with stout hairs tipped with magenta and yellow; winged terminal portion of the column suborbicular (when flattened out), with tapering base. Acid bogs and swamps; Nf. to Minn. and se. Man. s. to Fla., Tex. and Cuba. June, July. (C. pulchellus; Limodorum t.)
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