Home
A terrestrial herb 0.5-3.5 dm high, glabrous except for the roots; tubers ellipsoid or ovoid, 8-20 mm long, 5-10 mm in diameter, densely and shortly tomentose; roots slender, flexuous, pubescent. Stem erect, slender, terete, leafy throughout its length. Leaves 10-15, the lowest sheath-like, the next 5-7 in a bunch just above the base of the stem, suberect or spreading, linear to oblong-lanceolate, acute, the largest 1.5-9 cm long and 2-15 mm broad, tinged reddish or purplish, the remainder erect, ± adpressed to the stem with only the tips spreading, lanceolate, acute, decreasing in size up the stem. Inflorescence narrowly cylindrical, 1.5-6.5 cm long, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, loosely to rather densely 3-to many-flowered. Bracts lanceolate, acuminate, 5-15 mm long, the lower ones sometimes overtopping the flowers. Flowers suberect, greenish-white, pale pink, lilac or purple; pedicel with ovary straight, 5-8 mm long. Dorsal sepal erect, elliptical or almost orbicular, very convex, spurred at the back towards the base, 3-4.5 mm. long and nearly as broad when spread out, the spur horizontal or curved upwards, narrow in the lower part, swollen at the apex, 2.5-3.5 mm long; laterals projecting forwards, elliptical or oblong-elliptical, rounded, 2.5-3.5 mm. long, ± 2 mm broad. Petals erect, inside the dorsal sepal, very obliquely quadrate-obovate from a narrow base, rounded at the top and much widened on the outer side, 2-3 mm long, 1.5-2 mm broad. Lip projecting forwards, linear-ligulate, rounded, ± 2 mm long and 0.5 mm broad. Column erect, very short; anther horizontal or nearly so, 0.75 mm long; stigma in front of anther, ± orbicular or transversely elliptical, 0.6 mm in diameter.
Petals erect, somewhat curved over the rostellum and partially included within the galea, 1.8–2 mm long, obliquely quadrate-obovate.
Basal leaves 4–6, semi-erect, 1–3.5 cm long, narrowly elliptic, acute, undulate or crisped on the margins.
Spur 2.5–3.2 mm long, cylindric, horizontal or ascending, up-curved at the apex and irregularly clavate.
Dorsal sepal galeate; galea 2.5–3 mm long and 1.5–3 mm wide, rounded to obtuse, almost hemisphaerical.
Flowers variable in colour from greenish-white to pinky-mauve to brown, facing downwards.
Floral bracts usually as tall as the flowers, ovate to lanceolate, acute to acuminate.
Cauline leaves mostly sheathing, lanceolate, acute, grading into the floral bracts.
Rostellum low, flat; lateral lobes square, the central lobe almost obsolete.
Terrestrial herb perennating by testicular tubers. Plants 10–25 cm tall.
Lateral sepals c. 2.5 mm long, oblong to ovate, subacute.
Inflorescence lax, 2.5–4.5 cm long, 2–10-flowered.
Lip 1.3–1.5 mm long, narrowly oblong, rounded.
Anther horizontal with a massive connective.
Stigma massive, pedicellate.
Ovary 5–8 mm long.
