Herbs, epiphytic or rarely terrestrial. Stems elongate, slender, usually not pseudobulbous, but in some species a few terminal internodes sometimes slightly swollen, with leaves along entire length, except for a few nodes at base where persistent leaf sheaths are found, or with only a few leaves toward apex. Leaves alternate, conduplicate, linear-oblanceolate, narrowly elliptic, or narrowly ovate, leathery, articulate to a sheathing leaf base tightly enveloping stem. Inflorescences lateral on many nodes or arising from terminal node of stem, usually short and slender, only 1-or a few flowered; peduncle usually very much reduced; floral bracts few, spirally arranged, in some species conspicuous, brightly colored, fleshy. Flowers mostly white or cream-colored, sometimes ochre-yellow, medium-sized, glabrous or sparsely stellate-hairy on abaxial surface of sepals; pedicel and ovary glabrous. Dorsal sepal free, often recurved; lateral sepals oblique at base, forming with column foot a blunt, oblique mentum. Petals free, smaller than sepals; lip 3-lobed, hinged to column foot, curved, adorned with a papillose, subglobose callus and papillose keels, or only with laminate keels; lateral lobes erect, enclosing column; mid-lobe in most species smaller than lateral lobes. Column short, foot shorter than or ca. as long as column proper; pollinia 8, rectangular, arranged in a series of pairs, 1 large and 1 small, posterior 4 much smaller.
Home