Perennial herb. Stems 15-73 cm long, erect, sometimes from a shortly creeping rooting base, terete, smooth. usually unbranched below inflorescence. Leaves sessile, 10-36 mm long, 2-17 mm broad, lanceolate or more rarely ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate to linear. apex acute to subacute or rarely obtuse to rounded, base cordate-amplexicaul to rounded, lower pairs entire, uppermost pairs with glandular-ciliate auricles and base, with intra-.marginal black glands. Inflorescence a (1-) 5-c.50-flowered cylindric to subcorymbose cyme, with branches monochasial after first branching; bracts with glandular-ciliate margin and auricles; flowers 1-1.7 cm in diameter. Sepals 5-9 mm long, Iinear to narrowly oblong-lanceolate, acute, free, ribbed, with glandular-ciliate margin. Petals ± broadly oblanceolate, 7-12 mm long, with marginal black dots and sometimes laminar black dots to lines. Stamens in 3' fascicles (2+2+1). Ovary 3-locular, 2-2.5(-3) mm long; styles 1.5-2.5 longer than the ovary, free, divergent, straight. Capsule 5-8 mm long, ovoid, longitudinally vittate. Seeds 0.5-0.6 mm Iong, not carinate; testa densely scalariform-reticulate.

Fl. Per: July-September.

Type: Nepal, Wallich 4812(G, holotype, (BM!K!); Distribution: Kashmir to Yunnan and Burma.

In woods and damp meadows or sometimes drier habitats (grassy slopes, track-sides, cultivation terraces), c. 1800 m in Kashmir, 1600-3500 m. elsewhere.

The distributional area of this species includes only a small part of that of the Flora. H. napaulense, on the other hand, occurs more widely in the Flora area, and has been confused with H.elodeoides (for differences see key).