Plants 1-3 m tall. Rhizomes 3-5 cm thick, branching, covered by many triangular scales. Stems straight, rigid, brownish, more than 50 cm long, 2-4 cm thick at base, short rusty hairy or nearly glabrous, with several scales, scales ovate-lanceolate, 2-4 cm long. Racemes several, terminal or lateral, 10-20 cm long; peduncle and rachis more or less shortly tomentose; floral bracts ovate to oblong, 1-2 cm long; pedicel and ovary terete, 2-3 cm long, without ribs, woolly tomentose. Flowers bright yellow, ca. 4-5 cm in diam.; sepals similar, elliptic, 2.5-3 cm long, 1-1.5 cm wide, short rusty tomentose outside, glabrous inside; petals similar to sepals in shape and size, glabrous on both surfaces; lip deeply concave, orbicular when expanded, ca. 2 cm in diam., papillose on upper surface especially near margins, margins undulate, fimbriate, laterally incurved near base and loosely embracing column, base with small fold forming a small sac-like pseudo-nectary, sac rounded, 2-lobed at apex; column ca. 7 mm long, curved forward, slightly dilated at apex, with 2 papillose processes at base; anther fleshy, conical, 2.5 mm long, short papillose or nearly glabrous outside; pollinia compressed ellipsoid, 1mm long; stigma slit-like. Capsule oblong, subfalcate, more than 10 cm long. Seeds surrounded by irregular wing, ca. 2 mm long including wing.

NANTOU: Chitou, Su 676*; Hoshe, Su 9440; Meifong, Su & Wu 9545. ILAN: Chileiting, Su 8333. HUALIEN: Chingshuishan, Su 8344; Aaohua, Su 7889.

India and the Himalaya. Taiwan, mountainous regions, 1,000-2,500 m.