Herbs, mycotrophic. Rhizomes creeping or ascending, cylindric, slender, slightly rigid or subfleshy, branched or simple. Stem suberect, slender, branched or simple, with sparse scalelike sheaths. Raceme terminal, usually several to 10-flowered; floral bracts small, membranous. Flowers usually resupinate, small or medium-sized, with 1 small toothed cup (calyculus) between ovary and perianth, with abscission layer above calyculus near perianth base. Sepals and petals free, similar; lip base clawed, usually by canaliculate claw connate to column foot forming a tube, rarely free, spurless, upper part 3-lobed or unlobed; disk often hairy or papillose. Column rather slender, slightly dilated toward apex, slightly clavate; anther subterminal, 2-locular; pollinia 2, granular-farinaceous, without caudicle or conspicuous viscidium; rostellum short. Fruit a cylindric capsule.
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