These members of the ginger family all have large, orchid-like flowers, many species having both pale yellow and purple variants. They emerge through the ground very late, typically in late May. When the flowers come, they follow in succession up the leafy stems. The fleshy roots enable the plants to form good clumps, and when happy plants will gently seed themselves, seedlings appearing close to the parent. The names alpina, longifolia and scillifolia seem to be confused, as are the plants!

Roscoea cautleyoides f. sinopurpurea is taller than most, with narrow leaves and purple flowers.