Herbs, terrestrial, small. Tubers subglobose, to 1 cm in diam., fleshy; roots wiry, filamentous. Stem erect, slender, with membranous cataphylls at nodes. Leaf basal, solitary, cylindric, slender, hollow, glabrous, basally amplexicaul, sessile. Inflorescence terminal, racemose, with several to many flowers, emerging through opening in leaf; floral bracts small, sheathing. Flowers resupinate, small; ovary ribbed, glabrous; pedicel extremely short. Dorsal sepal free, erect, similar to but larger than lateral sepals, cucullate over column; lateral sepals free, spreading. Petals free, smaller than sepals; lip adnate to base of column, usually with basal callus adaxially, entire or sometimes apically emarginate, spurless. Column very short, fleshy, with 2 wings apically or laterally; anther erect, 2-locular; stigma entire, quadrate; pollinia 4, in 2 pairs, granular-farinaceous, with short caudicle and viscidium. Capsule erect.

About 14 species: mainly in Australia and New Zealand, with one species extending to tropical and subtropical Asia; one species in China.

(Authors: Chen Xinqi (陈心启 Chen Sing-chi); Stephan W. Gale, Phillip J. Cribb)