Epiphytic herbs. Pseudobulbs stout, ovoid, ridged, the bases enveloped in 2-3 fibrous, imbricating bracts, the apex with 2-3 broad, plicate, petiolate, elliptic-lanceolate leaves. Inflorescences usually elongate, pendent racemes from the base of the pseudobulbs. Flowers few to many, relatively large, on long pedicels. The genus has been divided by Pfitzer into the two sections ACRPERA and EUGONGORA. In section ACROPERA: pedicels usually strongly arcuate; the lateral sepals about as broad as long, spreading or somewhat reflexed, the apex broadly acute or obtuse and abruptly apiculate; the sepals and petals all more or less connivent at the base; the lip with a narrow, short or elongate, ligular basal claw; the mesochile conspicuously lobed or inflated and saccate, rarely with apical horns or antennae; the epichile elongate, lanceolate-acuminate, sometimes reduced to an obscure apicule, or divided and biligular at the apex; column slender and somewhat arcuate, dilated at the apex, sometimes narrowly winged and obscurely 2-cornute, produced at the base into a foot. In section EUGONGORA: pedicels usually straight or slightly curved; the lateral sepals usually nearly twice as long as broad, strongly reflexed, the apex acuminate, the margins strongly reflexed, the bases inserted on the foot of the column; the dorsal sepal and the petals inserted on the upper column, their bases not connivent with those of the lateral sepals; the lip very fleshy, often laterally compressed, complexly 2-parted, with both a well developed hypochile and epichile; the base of the hypochile with or without short, lateral, rounded, ligular or auriculate callosities, the apical margin usually with 2 slender, erect antennae; the epichile usually with a gibbose or conical, basal projection above the basal constriction; column slender and somewhat arcuate, semiterete below, dilated above, without lateral wings, but with the inserted petals resembling stelidia; the base of the column produced into a foot. In both sections of the genus the anther is terminal, operculate, incumbent, 1-celled or imperfectly 2-celled; pollinia 2, waxy.
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