Satyrium nepalense var. ciliatum (Lindl.) Hook. fil.

Flowering and fruiting from August to October.

Satyrium nepalense var. ciliatum is close relative of Satyrium nepalense var. nepalense, but differs from the latter in its spurs stout (vs. slender), conic (vs. cylindric), not more than 6 mm (vs. 8-13 mm), shorter than ovary (vs. as long as or exceeding ovary), rarely saclike or absent altogether.

Satyrium nepalense var. ciliatum is occurring in SW Guizhou, NW Hunan, SW and W Sichuan, S and SE Xizang, NW and SE Yunnan of China, Bhutan, India, Sikkim, Nepal.

Satyrium is a morphologically anomalous genus. The only infrageneric classification based on a phylogenetic analysis of morphological characters resulted in recognition of the three subgenera Brachysaccium, Bifidum, and Satyrium. DNA sequence data from nuclear (ITS1, 5.8S, and ITS2) and plastid (trnL intron, trnL-F intergenic spacer, and part of the matK gene and trnK intron) genome are used to test the monophyly of these subgenera (Van der Niet et al., 2003). Results reject monophyly of all three subgenera and the phylogenetic relationships of the Asian representatives of Satyrium remain ambiguous.

Plants usually slender, 12-35 cm tall. Tubers oblong-ellipsoid to ellipsoid, 2-5 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm wide. Stem slender, with 1-3 membranous sheaths at base, 1-2-leaved. Leaves basal, lanceolate-oblong to narrowly ovate, 4-15 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, apex acuminate to acute, slightly fleshy, margin somewhat crisped. Peduncle 6-17 cm, with several large, foliaceous tubular bracts, glabrous; rachis 4-13 cm; floral bracts to 2 cm, reflexed, ovate-lanceolate. Flowers fragrant, widely spreading, whitish, pink, or pale purple, glabrous, usually hermaphroditic or rarely with stamen abortive or absent, pedicel and ovary 6-10 mm, glabrous. Dorsal sepal narrowly oblong-elliptic, 5-6 mm long, ca. 1.3 mm wide, apex obtuse; lateral sepals oblong-spatulate, 5-6 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm wide. Petals narrowly oblong-oblanceolate, 4-5 mm long, ca. 1.2 mm wide, outer surface carinate, margin often ciliate, apex acute to obtuse and sometimes incised; lip hooded, subglobose, 5-6 mm long, 4-6 mm wide, outer surface carinate, 2-spurred, margin sometimes irregularly dentate, apex acute or obtuse and often deflexed; spurs conic, 3-6 mm, shorter than ovary, stout, rarely saclike or absent altogether (in spurless or shortly spurred flowers, male organs reduced to varying degrees; in extreme cases column entirely pistillate and lip absent). Column incurved, 4-5 mm.

Growing in alpine Pinus forests, open forests, grassy slopes; 1200-4000 m.