Slender terrestrial herb 15–46 cm tall.Perennating organs subterranean, tuberous, elongate, c. 4 × 1.5 cm.Leaves 3–5, the lowest 2 reduced to sheaths, up to 8 cm × 3 mm, narrowly linear, scarcely developed at flowering time.Inflorescence laxly 3–15-flowered; scape with a few scattered sheaths.Pedicel and ovary 8–10 mm long, the ovary developing on the lowest flowers while the upper ones are still in bud; bracts 5–7 mm long, linear-lanceolate, acuminate.Sepals greenish-purple; petals lilac or pale pink with darker veins, lip side lobes green with purple veins, mid-lobe pale lilac with purple veins and white papillae; spur green.Sepals semi-erect, recurved at the tips,10–20 × 1–2 mm, narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, acute or acuminate.Petals 8–16 × 1.5–3 mm, oblong-linear, acuminate, lying over the column.Lip 9–16 × 5–7 mm, 3-lobed, with 3 lacerate crests running from the base to below the apex, and with some papillae on the mid-lobe; side lobes short, obtuse or rounded; mid-lobe 4.5–9 × 3–4 mm, oblanceolate or obovate, acute, the edge crenulate; spur 3–6 mm long, slender, cylindrical, obtuse, straight or slightly recurved.Column 3–4 mm long with a short foot.
Miombo and mixed deciduous woodland, often in rocky soil
Orchidaceae, I. la Croix & P.J. Cribb. Flora Zambesiaca 11:2. 1998
Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592
