Herbs, terrestrial, small to medium-sized. Tubers ovoid or ellipsoid; roots filiform, emerging from subterranean stem at apex of tubers. Stem usually erect, terete, with tubular sheaths near base, glabrous. Leaves 2-5, basal or cauline, alternate, rarely subopposite, base contracted into clasping sheaths, spotted or not. Inflorescence terminal, cylindric, few to many flowered; floral bracts lanceolate to ovate, membranous. Flowers resupinate, secund or not, small to medium-sized; ovary twisted, pedicellate. Sepals free, glabrous; dorsal sepal erect, often concave; lateral sepals spreading, erect or connivent with dorsal sepal and petals to form a hood. Petals free, usually porrect; lip simple or 3-or 4-lobed, spurred at base or rarely spurless; disk with or without basal calli. Column stout; anther erect, base firmly adnate to apex of column, with 2 parallel or divergent locules; pollinia 2, granular-farinaceous, sectile, each attached to a viscidium by a slender caudicle; each viscidium enclosed in a sticky globe, both globes enclosed in a common bursicle formed by folding of rostellar arms; stigma lobes confluent, concave, beneath rostellum; rostellum slightly protruding, with 2 arms; auricles 2, on each side of column. Capsule erect.
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Sep and lateral pet similar in color but differing in size, the pet connivent with the upper sep or with all the sep to form a concave hood over the column; lip large, prolonged at its base into a conspicuous spur; anther broadly sessile atop the column, pollen-sacs contiguous; pollinia 2; viscidia 2, enclosed in a single pouch; perennial from short rhizomes and thickened roots, the scape bearing 1 or 2 lvs near the base and a loose, terminal, few-fld raceme. 100, N. Temp.
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