Coelogyne esquirolii Schlechter; C. lactea H. G. Reichenbach; Pleione flaccida (Lindley) Kuntze.

Rhizome stout, 7-8 mm in diam., rigid, with dense, purplish brown, leathery sheaths. Pseudobulbs often 2-3 cm apart on rhizome, bright yellow when dried, oblong or nearly cylindric, 6-12.5 × 1.5-3.2 cm, somewhat attenuate toward apex, with 2 leaves at apex and several sheaths at base; sheaths 5-8 × 2.5-3 cm, leathery, abaxially mottled with purplish brown particularly in central part and basal half. Leaf blade oblong-lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 13-19 × 3-4.5 cm, leathery, apex subacuminate or shortly cuspidate; petiole 4.5-8 cm. Inflorescence heteranthous, 16-32 cm, basal half enclosed in sheaths; rachis 11-21 cm, sparsely 8-10-flowered; floral bracts caducous, obovate-elliptic, ca. 2.5 cm; pedicel and ovary 17-20 mm. Flowers pale yellow to white, with yellow and pale reddish brown spots on lip. Dorsal sepal oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 21-24 × 6-7 mm; lateral sepals slightly narrower, abaxially ± carinate. Petals linear-lanceolate, 20-22 × 2-3 mm; lip subovate, 16-20 × ca. 15 mm, 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect, subovate, apex obtuse; mid-lobe suboblong, 6-7 × ca. 4 mm, margin ± crisped; callus with 3 crisped-incised lamellae extending from base of lip to basal half of mid-lobe. Column slightly arcuate, ca. 13 mm, both sides with wings; wings widened toward column apex, ca. 1.5 mm wide on one side in upper part. Fl. Mar. 2n = 40.

On trees in forests; 1600-1700 m. NW Guangxi, S Guizhou, S and W Yunnan [Bhutan, NE India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam].