[1] It has a number of subspecies:[3][4][5] These butterflies are found in open places in wooded country between 3,000 and 8,000 feet (910 and 2,440 m) in the Himalayas.

While the male swordtails are rarely away from their favourite spots, the females wander abroad in search of their host plants, the laurels.

It regularly emerges in Himachal Pradesh area in mid-April and stays on the wing till mid-May.

The brood emerges slightly earlier east of Himachal till in Assam the butterflies appear as early as January.

Haribal lists Persea odoratissima and Michelia doltsopa (family Magnoliaceae) as the larval host plants.