Sarcanthus parishii J. D. Hooker, Bot. Mag. 86: ad t. 5217. 1860.

Stems 1-6 cm, stout. Leaves twisted, distichous, rather close, flat, linear-lorate, 6-20 × 0.6-2.4 cm, slightly fleshy or thickly leathery, unequally bilobed. Inflorescence racemose or paniculate, borne from middle or lower part of stem, much longer than leaves, laxly many flowered; peduncle purplish brown; floral bracts ovate-triangular, small, 1-2 mm, acute. Flowers opening widely, whitish, tinged with purple, column pale purple; pedicel and ovary purplish brown, ca. 1 cm. Dorsal sepal suboblong, ca. 4 × 1.5-2 mm, obtuse; lateral sepals slightly oblique ovate, ca. 4 × 2 mm, base adnate to column foot. Petals similar to dorsal sepal, smaller, obtuse; lip lateral lobes erect, suborbicular, bilobed; mid-lobe deltoid, ± fleshy, acute, with 2 basal backward lobules; spur horn-shaped, ca. 3 mm, apex obtuse, inside longitudinally septate; back wall callus 3-lobed, T-shaped; lateral lobules short, stout; mid-lobule narrowed toward base, with a central longitudinal groove, base slightly bilobed and densely papillate-hairy. Column ca. 2 mm; anther cap not narrowed toward apex; stipe threadlike; viscidium suborbicular, very small. Fl. Apr-May.

Epiphytic on tree trunks in broad-leaved evergreen forests; ca. 1000 m. N Guangdong, SW Guangxi, Hainan [Myanmar].