Epipactis helleborine (Linnaeus) Crantz var. papillosa (Franchet & Savatier) T. Hashimoto; E. latifolia (Linnaeus) Allioni var. papillosa (Franchet & Savatier) Maximowicz ex Komarov; E. sayekiana Makino.

Plants 30-70 cm tall. Rhizome short. Stem brown papillose-pubescent throughout, with several sheaths toward base. Leaves 5-7, elliptic-ovate to broadly elliptic, 7-12 × 2-4 cm, adaxially white papillose-puberulent along veins and margins, apex shortly acuminate. Rachis 10-20 cm, brown papillose-pubescent, laxly to subdensely 10- to more than 20-flowered; floral bracts lanceolate, lower ones exceeding flowers. Flowers spreading horizontally or nodding, resupinate, probably self-pollinating, green; lip pale green. Sepals narrowly ovate, 9-12 × 3-5 mm, apex acute. Petals ovate-orbicular, 8-10 × 2-4 mm, apex acute; lip 7-8 mm, without a mesochile; hypochile subglobose-saccate; epichile narrowly cordate or triangular, apex acute. Column ca. 3 mm. Capsule ellipsoid, ca. 10 mm. Fl. Aug. 2n = 38, 40.

Forests. S Liaoning (Fengcheng) [Japan, Korea].