2n = 22

2n = 22

Plant body a branching tangled whitish rhizome about 4mm diameter and up to 60cm long. Stems several erect, up to 12cm high by 2mm diameter, brownish-red, pubescent. Leaves 1-7, reduced to sheathing bracts about 1cm long, acute, colourless with pale pink striae. Floral bracts similar to and not much smaller than the stem bracts. Flowers 1-5, about 6mm long, the lower portion brownish-pink, the upper white. Dorsal sepal cucullate, acute, shorter than the lateral sepals and petals, 4.5mm long by 1.5mm broad. Lateral sepals and petals similar, oblong-obtuse, 5mm long by 2mm broad. Labellum translucent, oblong-truncate, 4mm long by 2.5mm broad, the margins inrolled. Callus dull yellow, with 3 longitudinal pink striae and a conspicuous central ridge. Column in-curved, the anther-connective brownish-red, pollinia yellow. Column-wings large, oblong, enveloping and partly obscuring the squarish 2-celled stigma.

Saprophytica, semi-subterranea, haud viridis. Planta matura rhizomata, ramosa, tortuosa, 4mm diam. Peduncula 1-7, erecta, rubris pubescens, 7-12cm alta × 2mm diam. Folia 1-7 vaginata, bracteata, acuta, 1cm longa. Flores 1-5, 6mm longi, subregulares. Sepala et petala similes, oblongi-obtusata, 5mm longa × 2.5mm lata. Labellum oblongi-truncatum, 4mm longum × 2.5mm latum, margines incurva. Callus flavus, oblongus, cum jugum medium conspicuum. Columna incurva, normaliter sed reducit, stigma in partim includo alis columnae.

Plant at fl. c. 3–20 cm. tall. Rhizome 3–5 mm. diam., much branched, bearing tufts of long, fine, colourless hairs, and vestigial scale-lvs. Stem erect and unbranched, pale rose colour, glandular-pubescent. Scale-lvs 1–7, c. 1–1.5 cm. long, paler than stem, many-nerved, those lower on the stem half-tubular, those higher up open-sheathed. Floral bracts similar, > very short pedicels. Fls us. 1–5, suberect. Per. c. 6 mm. long, brownish with white tips, ± glandular-pubescent externally. Dorsal sepal ± oblong, slightly concave; laterals similar, ± spreading. Petals similar, wholly included. Labellum sessile, almost orbicular to broad-oblong, ± embracing column; base broad, very slightly pouched, bearing on each side several fleshy hairs or elongated calli; median line thickened; sides becoming thick, fleshy and stiff towards tip and tuberculate externally; margins inturned, thin and membr.; mid-lobe very small, orbicular, deeply concave. Column almost as tall as labellum, subcylindric below with very narrow wings; filament broad, rigid; connective slightly produced; anther tall and erect, immobile, each cell with 2 sets of transversely oblique, closely packed, vermiform pollen-packets; stigma apparently bilobed, as if forming the top of a protruding funnel flanked by fleshy lobes that flare widely apart in old fls; rostellum long, narrow-triangular, wedged between the long pollinia, possibly topped by small dark knob. Seed elongate-cylindric with blunt ends.