Plants up to 60 cm tall. Stem stout, ± fistular, leafy. Leaves 3-6, ± adpressed to the stem, unspotted, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate and elliptic, often conspicuously narrowed towards the base, broadest at the middle or somewhat above, mostly large 6-15 (-20) cm long, up to 5 cm broad. Inflorescence broadly cylindric, rather short, (3-)5-10(-15) cm, densely many-flowered. Bracts lanceolate, the lower exceeding the flowers. Flowers vividly colored, purplish-lilac or rose, rarely white. Dorsal sepal erect-spreading, ovate-oblong to lanceolate, up to 10 mm long, lateral sepals somewhat reflexed, slightly longer than the dorsal; petals slightly shorter; apex of dorsal sepal and petals ± hooded. Labellum nearly flat, mostly broader than long, broadly oval, entire or somewhat 3-lobed in front, up to 11 mm long, 13 mm broad, minutely papillose above, tinged with dark purple dots and lines. Spur cylindric, ± obtuse. Ovary slightly twisted, glabrous.

Fl. Per.: June-July.

Type: Nepal, “In Sirinagur” Kamroop.

Distribution: Himalaya, region from Chitral to Nepal, Bhutan, S. E. Tibet. In marshy open places and coniferous forest.

Sod in J. Bot. 66:17 (1928) and Ann. Hist. Nat. Mus. Natl. Hung. 26:346 (1929) recognized two varieties of Dactylorhiza hatagirea; var. schlaginweitii Sod from Skardu and Ladak. This may represent one of the rather dubious alpine dwarf forms of Dactylorhiza hatagirea, which can hardly be classified, if the general aspect of the entire population is not known.

Dactylorhiza hatagirea var.? afghanica Soo. from Kurram-Valley (Aitch. 570), which is nearest to Dactylorhiza umbrosa.