Plants 12–60 cm tall. Tubers oblong to ellipsoid, 2–3 X 0.5–0.8 cm. Stem stout with membranous sheaths at base. Leaves 2 or 3, usually sub-basal, subopposite, or sometimes cauline, alternate, oblong to ovate-lanceolate, 4–20 X 1–7 cm, fleshy, acute to acuminate. Inflorescence up to 40 cm, densely many-flowered raceme; peduncle 6–30 cm; rachis 7–15 cm. Fertile bracts reflexed, foliaceous, ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–3 cm, exceeding the ovary. Flowers fragrant, pink or white, ca. 1.2 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 6–8 mm. Sepals subsimilar, linear-oblong, ciliolate, spreading. Dorsal sepal 4–6 X 1.5 mm. Lateral sepals ca. 5 X 2 mm. Petals narrower than sepals, narrowly linear-lanceolate, 3.5–5 X 1.2 mm, margin entire. Lip 0.7 x 1cm, simple, hooded, subglobose, 5–7 X 10 mm; spurs 2, parallel, 3–15 mm, curved downward. Column erect, short, curved, ca. 4 mm.

Key to Variety

1a Spurs 10–15 mm, as long as or exceeding ovary. Petal margin entire……1. var. nepalense

  b Spurs less than 10 mm; shorter than the ovary. Petal margin ciliate……….2. var. ciliatum