A terrestrial herb 2.5–7.5 dm. high, glabrous except for the roots.. Tubers ellipsoid, ovoid or elongate-ovoid, 2–4.5 cm. long, 1–2 cm. in diameter, shortly tomentose.. Roots slender, flexuous, pubescent.. Sterile stems up to 13 cm. long, covered by several overlapping sheaths, 1–2-leaved at the apex; leaves lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, 10–30 cm. long, 1–2 cm. broad.. Flowering stems rather stout, almost entirely covered by adpressed sheathing leaves, terete, often ± 1 cm. in diameter at the base; leaves 9–13, the lowermost short, sheath-like, the remainder lanceolate, acute, the largest 7–12 cm. long, 1–2 cm. broad.. Inflorescence 5–19 cm. long, 2.5–4.5 cm. in diameter, densely 14-to many-flowered.. Bracts leafy, lanceolate, acuminate, 2–3.5 cm. long, the lower ones often longer than the flowers.. Flowers suberect, pink, bright carmine or mauve, often with darker spots, rarely white; pedicel with ovary straight, ±1.5 cm. long.. Dorsal sepal erect, orbicular, obovate or ovate from a very short narrowed base, convex, spurred below the middle, 6–11 (–14.5) mm. long, 5–8(-ll) mm. broad, the spur pendent, often slightly swollen in the apical part, 4.5–6(–10) mm. long; laterals spreading upwards, obliquely oblong or elliptical, obtuse or rounded, 8–10(–13) mm. long, 4–5(–6.5) mm. broad.. Petals erect, 2-lobed in the upper part, altogether 6.5–8(-ll) mm. long; lower (front) lobe obliquely elliptical with a somewhat cordate base on the outside, rounded at the apex, 5–7 mm. long, 3.5–5 mm. broad; upper (back) lobe much smaller, linear-oblong, curved, 3.5–5.5 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. broad.. Lip pendent, linear, 6.5–10.5 mm. long, 0.7–1.7 mm. broad.. Anther erect, shortly stalked, 4–5.5 mm. high.. Stigma orbicular, 2.5–3 mm. in diameter.
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