A terrestrial herb 1.5–4 dm. high, glabrous except for the roots.. Tubers 1–2, generally sessile but rarely stipitate, ovoid to cylindrical-ellipsoid, 1–3 cm. long and 5–10 mm. in diameter, almost glabrous.. Roots slender, flexuous, sparsely pubescent.. Stem erect, slender or somewhat robust, with 2 basal leaves and several sheaths spaced out along its length.. Two basal leaves subopposite, broadly ovate to orbicular-reniform, adpressed to the ground, 2–10.5 cm. long and broad; sheathing leaves 2–6, lanceolate, obtuse, 2–4.5 cm. long, 1–1.5 cm. broad, papery in texture.. Inflorescence dense or loose, 4–13 cm. long, 3–4 cm. in diameter, 6–12-flowered; bracts erect, similar to the sheaths, acute, brownish, 1.2–1.7(–2.3) cm. long.. Flowers suberect, rose-pink to deep pink, rarely white; pedicel with ovary slightly curved, just over 1 cm. long.. Sepals and petals decurved, joined to one another and to the lip at the base.. Intermediate sepal oblanceolate, obtuse or rounded at the apex, 8–12 mm. long, ± 3 mm. broad; laterals obliquely elliptical-oblanceolate, obtuse, ± the same length as the intermediate, 3–4 mm. broad; all with entire margins.. Petals broadly oblanceolate, obtuse or rounded, 8–11 mm. long, 2.5–4.5 mm. broad, the margins shortly fimbriate.. Lip erect, very convex in the lower part, the upper part flattened and ± recurved with fimbriate margins resembling the petals, the whole 10–14 mm. long, 7–9 mm. broad when spread out, 2-spurred at the base.. Spurs pendent, cylindrical, slender, 2.5–6.5 cm. long but scarcely 2 mm. in diameter at the base.. Column erect, inside the lip, altogether 7 mm. long, the rather slender stalk ± two-thirds of the whole; anther-loculi ellipsoid, pendent, viscidia ovate, ± 1.5 mm. long; stigma erect, transversely semi-orbicular, emarginate at the apex, 3–4 mm. broad, 1.5–2.5 mm. high, rostellum projecting forwards and downwards, 3-lobed, the side lobes very short and obtuse, the middle lobe much larger, triangular, subacute or acute.. Fig. 33, p. 188.
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