Published in Särtyk ur Meddelanden från Göteborgs Botaniska Trädgård (Acta Horti Gothoburgensis) 1: 148. 1924; based on a type specimen collected by H. Smith in the Huanglong valley on July 23, 1922. A synonym is Goodyera wolongensis K.Y. Lang 1984, published in Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica 22 (4): 314. 1984.

        Goodyera serpens grows together with G. repens (Linnaeus) R. Brown in the Huanglong valley but is a much rarer plant of mossy ground in coniferous forest. It is in all parts larger than G. repens, the leaves are green and the sepals and to a lesser extent the petals are green to bright brown on the outside. The rostellum is bilobed (or, as Schlechter put it, formed like pliers) and the lip carries 3-4 tiny ridges. So far the species has only been recorded from 3380 m altitude in the Huanglong valley and from 2700 m in Wolong National Panda reserve. A more comprehensive search would certainly result in further confirmed localities for this orchid. The plant is 15-18 cm tall with a leaf rosette of 5-8 cm diameter and 12-20 flowers of 5-6 cm diameter.

        植株高15-18厘米。根状茎伸长，茎状，匍匐，具节。茎直立，绿色，具3-4枚叶。叶片卵形，长1.5-2厘米，宽1-1.5厘米，上面绿色，无白色斑纹，先端急尖，基部圆形，骤狭成柄；叶柄长4-8毫米，下部扩大成抱茎的鞘。花茎长9-12厘米，被短柔毛，下部具3-4枚鞘状苞片；总状花序具12-18朵花；花苞片披针形，背面被短柔毛，较子房长；子房纺锤形，绿色，被短柔毛，连花梗长3-4毫米；花小，白色，半张开；萼片先端稍钝，具1脉，背面被短柔毛，中萼片卵形，长3毫米，宽2毫米，与花瓣粘合呈兜状；侧萼片斜椭圆形，长3.5毫米，宽1.5毫米；花瓣近卵形，较中萼片短，具1脉，无毛；唇瓣半球形、帽状，前部短而钝，后部长，凹陷，囊状，内面无毛，中部具3条脊状隆起；蕊柱长2-2.5毫米；花药卵形；蕊喙直立，2裂；柱头1，椭圆形，位于蕊喙之下。

        在黄龙沟，卧龙斑叶兰和小斑叶兰是相互伴生在一起，零星生于针叶林下的苔藓丛中。卧龙斑叶兰叶片为绿色，萼片及花瓣外表面为绿色至棕色，蕊喙二裂（施勒希特将其描述为钳子状），唇瓣上有3-4个微小的脊。在黄龙沟，卧龙斑叶兰海拔在3380米左右，而在卧龙国家大熊猫自然保护区该种的海拔仅达2700米。至于卧龙斑叶兰的详细分布还需更全面的调查。卧龙斑叶兰植株高通常为15-18厘米，叶片莲座状，莲座直径为5-8厘米，总状花序，具12-20朵花， 花直径为5-6毫米。

        花期：8月。