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Small, medium or large terrestrial or rarely lithophytic herbs; roots slender to stout, basal or adventitious, often with a well-defined velamen. Perennating organs stem-like, pseudobulbous or tuber-like, above the ground or more commonly underground, conical, cylindrical or irregular in shape, several-noded. Leaves usually present and green but in some species much reduced, scale-like and brown or buff; green leaves 1–many, thin-textured to fleshy or coriaceous, with or without prominent longitudinal veins, linear, lanceolate, ovate or elliptic, sheathing at the base; scale leaves when present sheathing. Inflorescences basal, laxly to subdensely many-flowered, usually racemose, rarely branching. Flowers small to large, sometimes showy and brightly coloured. Sepals and petals similar or with the petals much broader, free to base or with the lateral sepals fused at the base to the column-foot. Lip 3-lobed, spurred at the base, usually with a callus of ridges and/or papillae on upper surface. Column short to long, with or without a column-foot; anther-cap entire or 2-lobed at the apex; pollinia 2, subglobose; stipes solitary, triangular to oblong; viscidium oblong, elliptic or lunate.
Herbs, terrestrial [rarely epiphytic], cespitose. Stems modified into corms [pseudobulbs], concealed by leaf sheaths. Leaves usually caducous, 1–several [sometimes much reduced, scalelike], basal, distichous, imbricate near base, clustered distally, nearly [distinctly] petiolate; blade plicate, not articulate with leaf sheaths, leathery. Inflorescences lateral, arising from base of corm [pseudobulb], racemes [rarely paniculate], erect. Flowers resupinate, showy; sepals and petals distinct [lateral sepals sometimes connate at base] and free, sepals erect to spreading; lip adnate or articulate to column foot, concave, saccate [sometimes spurred], 3-lobed; disc with erect lamellae; column erect, slightly arcuate, semiterete, long, more than 10 mm [short], basally produced into conspicuous foot, with shallow lateral wings distally; anther terminal, incumbent, 1-locular, operculate, 2-lobed at apex [entire]; pollinarium with 2 pollinia, yellow, nearly triangular to nearly circular, sulcate, cartilaginous; stipe short, inconspicuous [conspicuous, ligulate], viscidium semicircular [semilunar]. Fruits capsules, pendent when mature.
Erect, terrestrial herbs with lanceolate, plicate, ultimately deciduous leaves, the basal portions contracted into a sheathing petiole arising from the apex of the short, subconical, tuber-like pseudobulb. Inflorescence an erect, leafless raceme, pro-duced from the base of the tuber-like pseudobulb, equaling or exceeding the leaves. Flowers few to many. Sepals free, subequal, the laterals adnate to the foot. of the column. Petals subequal to the sepals, but narrower. Lip 3-lobed, the rounded, lateral lobes erect and converging over the column, the mid-lobe erect or recurved, sometimes 2-lobed, base of the lip produced into a saccate mentum continuous with the foot of the column. Column short, produced at the base into a foot. Anther terminal, operculate, incumbent. Pollinia 2-4, waxy.
Terrestrial orchids, evergreen, deciduous or leafless mycoheterotrophs, either with subterranean rhizomes and tubers or above-ground pseudobulbs. Leaves, if present, narrow, grass-like or plicate, sometimes borne on the end of a fleshy stem. Inflorescence racemose, slender, wiry, arising from basal node. Flowers dull-coloured or colourful, often not opening widely. Petals dissimilar to the sepals (often larger, wider or of different colour). Labellum lamina prominently 3-lobed, with short basal pouch or spur. Lateral lobes sometimes fused to column base. Callus with ridges, sometimes adorned with hairs or calli. Column with short to long column foot.
Column long or short, with or without a foot; anther cap entire or bilobed at the apex; pollinia 2, subglobose; stipes 1, triangular to oblong; viscidium oblong, elliptic or lunate.
Perennating organs usually subterranean but sometimes above ground, and pseudobulbous, conical, cylindrical or irregularly shaped, with several nodes.
Sepals and petals either similar, or the petals much broader; free to the base or with the lateral sepals fused at the base to the column foot.
Leaves usually present and thin-textured to fleshy or coriaceous, but in some species reduced and scale-like, brown or yellow-buff.
Lip 3-lobed, usually with a callus of ridges and/or papillae; spurred at the base, the spur sometimes obscure and sac-like.
Small to large terrestrial herbs, sometimes saprophytic; roots slender to stout, often with a velamen.
Inflorescences basal, usually many-flowered, usually simple but occasionally branched.
Flowers small to large, often showy and brightly coloured.
