Plants 5-10 cm tall. Rhizome elongate, creeping, torose. Stem erect, terete, ca. 5 cm, fleshy, 4-8-leaved. Leaves green, cauline, ovate, 1-2.5 × 0.8-1.7 cm, base rounded, apex acute; petiole-like base and sheath 1-1.5 cm. Inflorescence extremely short, to 1 cm, 2- or 3-flowered; peduncle often enclosed by leaf bases and not visible beyond stem apex; floral bracts green, ovate, shorter than ovary, apex acuminate. Flowers glabrous; ovary cylindric-fusiform, 10-12 mm including pedicel, glabrous. Sepals 10-11 mm, connate for ca. 3/5 of length and forming a tube; free dorsal lobe ca. 3.5 mm and lateral lobes ca. 1.8 mm, apex slightly obtuse. Petals appressed to dorsal sepal, narrowly spatulate, slightly oblique, ca. 9 × 2 mm, base attenuate, apex obtuse; lip 8-13 mm, 3-partite; hypochile slightly saccate, ca. 1.5 mm, containing 2 comblike calli; mesochile ca. 4.5 × 2 mm; epichile ca. 2 × 4 mm, 2-lobed and with an acute tooth between 2 lobes; margin of lobes 5- or 6-laciniate, each linear division 1-2 mm. Column ca. 2.5 mm; stelidia linear, ca. 3 mm; anther broadly ovoid, ca. 1.5 mm; rostellum arms to 3.5 mm. Fl. Sep-Oct.

This species is clearly closely related to Cheirostylis octodactyla. More material is required on which to base a critical comparison.

● Shaded humid areas in dense forests; ca. 2100 m. SE Yunnan.