Holomycotrophic (formerly often wrongly referred to as saprophytic) leafless terrestrial herbs with horizontal tuberous Rhizomes. Inflorescence erect, terminal with tubular or scalelike sheaths at the nodes, hairless, yellowish brown or dull brown, usually few to many flowered, rarely 1-flowered. Flowers spreading or nodding, campanulate, urceolate, or cylindric, resupinate or not, cream-brown, yellowish brown, or dull brown, occasionally greenish brown, lip often lighter brown and sometimes with orange markings; pedicel usually elongating in fruit. Sepals and petals united and forming a perianth tube, only apical portions free; perianth tube sometimes dilated and saccate at base, sometimes with a deep sinus between lateral sepals, outer surface often verrucose; petals much smaller than sepals; lip usually small and clawed at base, simple or 3-lobed. Column with a short foot at base, winged toward apex, sometimes with a pair of toothlike apical projections; pollinia 2, granular-farinaceous; stigma raised, shield-shaped. Capsule erect. Worldwide: 61 species in Africa, Asia, Madagascar Australia and various islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Rwanda: 1 taxon. |
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