Plants to 2 m tall. Rhizomes few, few branched, orange or orange-red inside, paler on younger parts, short; roots with large tubers. Ligule small; petiole ca. 10 cm; leaf blade green with purple midvein, oblong, 40--80 × 15--20 cm, glabrous. Inflorescences on separate shoots arising from rhizomes; peduncle 15--25 cm; spike 16--25 × 8--10 cm; fertile bracts pale green, ca. 3 × 3.5 cm; coma bracts purple, ca. 7 × 3 cm, apical ones much narrower; bracteoles ca. 2.5 cm. Calyx white-green, ca. 1.4 cm, pubescent, apex 3-toothed. Corolla tube ca. 3.5 cm; lobes pale purple, ovate, ca. 1.7 × 1.5 cm. Lateral staminodes yellowish tinged with purple, oblong, ca. 1.7 × 1 cm. Labellum yellowish with deeply colored, median band, square, ca. 2 × 2 cm. Anther ca. 4 mm, base with spurs ca. 3 mm. Fl. Apr. 2 n = 63*.

Riversides; ca. 800 m. S Yunnan [Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand].