A purple-flowered orchid whose hand-shaped tubers ('Indra's hand') are prized in Himalayan and Tibetan medicine.
- Group: Plant
- Plant type: Medicinal
- Habitats: Alpine meadow, shrubby slopes
- Regions: Kham, Amdo
Habitat and distribution
Shrubby slopes and grassland along ravines at 600–4,100 m in eastern Tibet, western Sichuan, Tso Ngonpo province (Ch: Qinghai), Gansu and further north (Flora of China).
Recorded in Kham, Amdo.
Ecological and cultural significance
A slow-growing perennial orchid of wet alpine meadows.
Threats
Over-collection of the tubers, harvesting of immature plants for illegal trade, and livestock grazing (Wani et al. 2020).
Conservation
Listed as Endangered by the IUCN (2022, reported in news summaries; the assessment page could not be opened). Listed on CITES Appendix II.