Herbs, epiphytic, lithophytic, or rarely terrestrial, monopodial, medium-sized. Stems ascending, climbing, or pendulous, either short with several closely spaced leaves, or long with many, well-spaced leaves. Leaves flat, never terete or laterally compressed, sometimes fleshy, base sheathing, jointed. Inflorescence lateral, axillary, racemose, long or short, few to many flowered, a few flowers opening at a time, flowering of many lowland species initiated by a sudden afternoon rainstorm; floral bracts either distichous and persistent on a flattened rachis or facing all directions on terete rachis. Flowers usually ephemeral, often fully open for only half a day, small to medium-sized, very variable, from a few millimeters to several centimeters in diam. Sepals and petals subsimilar; lip adnate at base to end of column foot, immovable, saccate but not truly spurred, usually with a partly hairy or papillose front wall callus, 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect; mid-lobe rather thick and fleshy. Column short, stout, sometimes winged, with a long foot; pollinia waxy, 4, appearing as 2 unequal masses, subglobose, attached by a common short and broad stipe to a solitary viscidium. Capsule long, slender.
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Epiphytic orchids ranging from sparsely branched to much-branched, bushy clumps. Stems short to long, fibrous, erect or pendulous. Leaves thick, leathery, well-spaced or crowded. Racemes arising from stem opposite leaf, apical part flattened, with prominent bracts. Flowers resupinate or non-resupinate, arranged either in 2 ranks or spiral, short-lived (less than a day), produced sporadically with all plants in locality flowering synchronously. Sepals and petals similar in shape and size. Labellum fixed immovably to apex of column foot. Labellum lamina 3-lobed; lateral lobes small; spur prominent. Column broad with short foot. Pollinia 4 in 2 unequal pairs, orange, hard, waxy, attached via very short stipe to small viscidium.
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