Description
The dorsal petal is a pinkish-purple and is often speckled, whilst the rest of the flower is of a darker, more violet-purple. The intensity of both can vary and at different times you could validly describe the flowers as pink, purple or even bicoloured. The anther appendages are white, elongated and very prominent. They are really obvious and remind me greatly of pollinia in orchids. They are unique to this species and immediately obvious.
This is related to cautleyoides but the leaves form a rosette at the apex of the pseudo-stem, the lip is not reflexed and the stigma is hooked (in cautleyoides the leaves do not form a rosette at the apex of the pseudo-stem, the labellum is reflexed and the stigma is not hooked).
A lovely new and different Roscoea. Found at elevations of up to 3,800 m on Xiangcheng in Yunnan where it grows in degraded oak forest and scrub. These are true-to-name, seed-propagated plants, from a German Botanic Garden, from parents traceable to near Lijiang, Yunnan at 2,500 m.
