Plants more than 1 m tall. Rhizomes 2-3 cm thick, branching, with triangular scales. Stems straight, rigid, brownish yellow, sometimes with dark stripes, ca. 1-2 cm thick at base, rusty hairy above, nearly glabrous and with several scales below, scales ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-2.5 cm long. Racemes terminal and lateral, pendulous, 10 cm long; peduncle and rachis densely woolly tomentose; floral bracts ovate to oblong, 7-10 mm long; pedicel and ovary terete, 1-2.5 cm long, woolly tomentose. Flowers bright yellow, ca. 2-3.5 cm in diam.; sepals similar, elliptic, 1-2 cm long, 4-8 mm wide, densely rusty tomentose, distinctly keeled abaxially, glabrous inside, keel sometimes wavy; petals similar to sepals in shape and size, glabrous on both surfaces; lip cup shaped, orbicular or ovate when expanded, ca. 1.5 cm in diam., papillose on upper surface especially near base, margins ciliate, laterally incurved near base and loosely embracing column, base with small semispherical callus forming chamber; column ca. 5-7 mm long, slightly dilated at apex, with 2 papillose processes at base; anther ovoid-conical, 3 mm long, papillose outside; pollinia compressed ovoid, 1mm long. Capsule oblong, 10 cm long, subtrigonal, short tomentose. Seeds 1-1.5 mm long including wing.

TAICHUNG: Shihyuen, Su 9090; 710 logging road, Su 7176. NANTOU: Salichien, Su 8360. PINGTUNG: North Tawushan, Su 9362, 9409.

India, the Himalaya and southwestern China. Taiwan, mountainous regions, 1,800-2,700 m.