Alismorkis discolor (Lindley) Kuntze; Calanthe cheniana Handel-Mazzetti; C. esquirolei Schlechter.

Plants 40-65 cm tall. Rhizome inconspicuous. Pseudobulbs subconic, small, ca. 1 cm in diam., with 3 or 4 sheaths. Leaves 3, not well developed at anthesis, not deciduous; blade obovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong, 13-25 × 3-9 cm, abaxially densely puberulent, apex acute; petiole-like base 3-9 cm, usually forming a pseudostem 6-10 cm long and ca. 2 cm in diam. Scapes 1 or 2, arising from leaf axil, 18-30 cm, densely puberulent; rachis 6-8 cm, laxly 6-10-flowered; floral bracts persistent, ovate-lanceolate, 4-7 mm, nearly glabrous. Flowers brownish purple, with white lip; pedicel and ovary 6-13 mm, densely puberulent. Sepals similar, elliptic, slightly oblique, 11-13 × 6-7 mm, abaxially puberulent below middle, 5-veined, apex acute. Petals suboblong or oblanceolate, 11-12 × 3.5-5 mm, glabrous, 3-veined, apex slightly obtuse; lip adnate to entire length of column wings, flabellate in outline, 10-13 × ca. 18 mm, deeply 3-lobed; lateral lobes falcate-obovate or cuneate-obovate, 9-10 × 6-9 mm, larger than mid-lobe, apex truncate-obtuse and incurved toward mid-lobe; mid-lobe obovate-cuneate, 7-8 × ca. 6 mm, apical margin sometimes irregularly dentate, apex emarginate; disk with 3 membranous, triangular lamellae extending to middle of mid-lobe; spur cylindric, 5-10 mm, outside sparsely puberulent, attenuate toward apex. Column ca. 4 mm, dilated at apex, wings decurrent to base of lip; rostellum 2-lobed; lobes ca. 0.6 mm; pollinia clavate, ca. 1.8 mm. Fl. Apr-May. 2n = 40.

Evergreen broad-leaved forests; 800-1500 m. Anhui, N Fujian, Guangdong, S Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang [Japan, Korea].