Terrestrial plants, ca. 30-50 cm tall. Rhizome obscure. Pseudobulbs elongate ovoid, 2-3 cm long, with 2 or 3 nodes. Leaves 3 or 4, oblanceolate or oblong, 15-30 cm long, 3-6 cm wide, apex acute, base decurrent, glabrous, mainly 3-nerved. Scapes 25-50 cm long, short pubescent, with 1 or 2 scales near base; rachis 10-20 cm long, laxly 10-20-flowered; bracts lanceolate, 15-24 mm long, acuminate; pedicel and ovary ca. 25 mm long, short pubescent. Flowers light purple to purple, later dull orange, not widely opening; dorsal sepal ovate-lanceolate, 1.4-2 cm long, 6-8 mm wide, aristate at apex, slightly contracted at base, lateral sepals falcate-ovate, 1.6-2.2 cm long, 7-8 mm wide, distinctly aristate at apex, contracted at base; petals similar to dorsal sepal but smaller, 1.2-1.5 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, acuminate; lip flabellate, whitish, pale yellow to light purple, incurved and embracing column, 1.3 cm long, 1.7 cm wide, unlobed, margin fimbriate, disc with dark purple stripes, spur 1.6-2.5 cm long, pointing backward; column white, semiterete, 6-8 mm long, curved, slightly winged on sides, fused with base of lip for half its length; anther white, cup-like, rounded apically; pollinia ovoid-conic, with short caudicles attached to a broad viscidium; stigma solitary, triangular; rostellum, with 2 short lobes, lobes subacute.

ILAN: Nanhutashan, Su & Chen 7195. HUALIEN: Lintienshan, Su 253; Shiaosingshan, Su 2008.

Distributed in the Himalayas, southwestern China and Japan. Taiwan, known from the eastern slope of central range, in forests at ca. 2,000 m elevation.

There is considerable variation throughout range of this species, especially in the length of spur and bract, and in the size and color of flowers. In Taiwan, the length of the bracts and the color of the flowers change with the age of the flowers.