Apaturia chinensis Lindley; A. senilis Lindley; Pachychilus chinensis (Lindley) Blume; P. pubescens (Blume) Blume; Pachystoma brevilabium Schlechter; P. chinense (Lindley) H. G. Reichenbach; P. chinense var. formosanum (Schlechter) S. S. Ying; P. formosanum Schlechter.

Rhizome tuberous, subcylindric, 4-8 mm in diam. Leaves 1 or 2, appearing after anthesis, linear, 10-50 × 0.8-1 cm, papery, main veins 4 or 5. Inflorescence erect; peduncle whitish, slender, with 6-8 membranous scalelike sheaths 3-8.5 cm; rachis 8-15 cm, laxly to 10- or more flowered, sparsely pubescent; floral bracts erect, narrowly lanceolate, 1.5-2 cm, membranous, abaxially sparsely pubescent, apex long acuminate. Flowers yellowish green, tinged with purplish or pink; pedicel and ovary ca. 1 cm, densely pubescent; ovary clavate. Dorsal sepal elliptic, ca. 11 × 3.5-5 mm, abaxially densely hairy, 5-veined, apex acute or subobtuse; lateral sepals oblong-lanceolate, ca. 11 × 3-4 mm, abaxially densely hairy, 5-veined, apex acuminate or acute. Petals narrowly spatulate or oblanceolate, 10-11 × 1.5-2.2 mm, 3-5-veined, subobtuse or acute; lip obovate, ca. 1 cm, adnate to column foot, 3-lobed above middle; lateral lobes erect, suboblong, ca. 3 mm wide, obtuse; mid-lobe obovate, usually ± ciliate, obtuse and mucronulate; disk with 3-5 longitudinal papillate ridges running from base to apex of mid-lobe. Column ca. 1 cm, densely hirsute, base with short foot; pollinia ca. 1 mm. Fl. Mar-Sep.

Grassy slopes; 800-1900 m. Guangdong, S Guangxi, SW Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, S Yunnan [Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, ?Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Vietnam; Australia].