Epiphytic herbs without pseudobulbs, the erect or pendulous, monopodial, foliaceous stems enveloped in the conduplicate, distichously imbricating leaf bases. Leaf blades short to elongate, pergameneous to coriaceous, articulated and ultimately deciduous, or connate with the sheathing bases and persistent. Inflorescences 1 to several short, 1-flowered scapes produced from the axils of the leaves. Flowers relatively small. Sepals subequal, free, spreading, the laterals rather obliquely inserted, the bases sometimes forming a mentum with the column foot. Petals subequal to the sepals or narrower. Lip affixed to the base of the column, usually clawed, rarely sessile, the blade usually 3-lobed, often more or less anchoraeform when spread out, infrequently entire, the lateral lobes (if present) triangular to linear, short or elongate, usually retrorse in natural position, sometimes reduced to acute angular projections at the base of the blade, the disk usually without a callus. Column short, erect, wingless or rarely narrowly winged, the margins of the clinandrium often denticulate, the under-surface of the column sometimes with a glabrous or pubescent infra-stigmatic ligule, the base of the column produced into a short foot. Capsule ovoid or oblong, muricate, setose or smooth.
Home