Epiphytic herbs, with cylindric or fusiform pseudobulbs usually tapering uni-formly upward. Leaves plicate, strongly veined, distichous, the unarmed imbricat-ing bases enclosing the pseudobulbs; leaf blades deciduous. Inflorescences arching racemes produced from the base or lower sides of the pseudobulbs. Flowers few or many, often richly colored. Sepals free, subequal, spreading or strongly reflexed. Petals subequal to the sepals or sometimes broader. Lip entire or 3-lobed, often fleshy, the lateral lobes or margins usually strongly reflexed, base often with a claw which is adnate to the base of the column. Column usually curved and twisted to one side so that the dorsal surface of the apex rests against the lip, the anther and stigmatic surface being thus exposed; rostellum without antennae, base of the col-umn without a foot. Anther terminal, operculate, incumbent, 1-or imperfectly 2-celled, extremely sensitive; pollinia 2 or 4, waxy, often ejected during the process of pressing the flowers and found adhering to the lip, or to one of the other floral parts.
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