Plants 18–40 cm. Roots few, strongly descending, tuberous, to 1.5 cm diam. Leaves persisting into anthesis, basal, often on proximal 1/2 of stem, ascending, linear to linear-lanceolate or oblanceolate, to 15 × 0.9 cm. Spike usually very tightly spiraled, rarely loosely spiraled, 3 flowers per cycle of spiral; rachis glabrous, commonly minutely and sparsely farinose. Flowers ascending, ochroleucous, yellowish white, and ochraceous (tinged yellowish brown), with basal 1/4 of sepals and petals and to 1/2 of lip green and fleshy, tubular; sepals connate at base, 4–6 mm; lateral sepals with apices spreading; petals lanceolate, apex spreading, obtuse; lip variably orange centrally, broadly or occasionally narrowly elliptic, 5–6 × 3.8–6.7 mm, often divided by ± evident constrictions into abruptly narrowed apical and basal parts narrower than middle, the apical part minutely but conspicuously puberulent adaxially; veins few to several, branches parallel to wide-spreading; viscidia linear to linear-elliptic; ovary mostly 2–4 mm. Seeds monoembryonic. 2n = 44.
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