Description:

• Terrestrial slender herbs, with ovoid root tubers, often delicate plants
• Leaves 1-few, alternate or sometimes in opposite pairs
• Inflorescence a lax, terminal raceme, or flowers solitary; flowers white, yellow, green or pink; bracts sometimes foliaceous
• Sepals free; median one galeate, adnate to petals to form hood, sometimes saccate or spurred; laterals oblique, generally saccate or spurred
• Petals variously shaped, often falcately curved, sometimes auriculate
• Lip ascending along face of gynostemium and basally fused to it, often clawed, variously dilated above, bearing variously shaped appendage directed towards apex of median sepal, lip appendage frequently very large
• Gynostemium: anther thecae parallel and adjacent, horizontally reflexed, anther canals not prominent; pollinia 2, sectile, with separate viscidia; stigma a slightly convex cushion at base of gynostemium or two separate areas on central rostellum lobe; rostellum with large, flat central lobe covering thecae, and 2 rigid lateral arms holding viscidia
• Capsule cylindrical or ovoid, ribbed

Nomenclature:

• Disperis Sw.
  • Swartz: 218 (1800)
  • Rolfe: 291 (1913)
  • Phillips: 237 (1951)
  • Schelpe: 108 (1966)
  • Stewart et al.: 195 (1982)
  • Linder & Kurzweil: 299 (1999)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species ± 84, mainly Africa and Madagascar, extending into East Asia
• Southern Africa: Species 26, widespread