Leaves with longitudinal nerves. Inflorescence of the racemose type. Flowers irregular. Perianth more or less corolla-like or distinguished into calyx and corolla, one of the petals or segments (the lip) distinctly differing from the others. Receptacle usually continued beyond the ovary and forming the column upon which the stigma and the anther are inserted. Fertile stamen 1, belonging to the outer whorl. Staminodes sometimes present. Ovary inferior, 1-celled, with numerous parietal ovules. Stigmas or stigma-lobes 3, one of them rudimentary or transformed into the rostellum, to which the pollen-masses adhere. Seeds very small, exalbuminous; embryo imperfectly developed.--Genera 96, species 1600. (Plate 26.) 1. Pollen-masses with basal, stalk-like appendages, which adhere to the sticky, gland-like appendages of the rostellum. Root thickened into tubers. [Tribe OPHRYDEAE.] 2 Pollen-masses with apical appendages or without appendages. 37 2. Anther reflected, forming an angle with the column. Lip with 2 spurs or without a spur, but sometimes saccate or bearing appendages on the back. 3 Anther erect, having the same direction as the column, rarely slightly reflected, but then lip with one spur. 14 3. Lip partly adnate to the column, usually bearing on its upper face a large appendage. Petals broad, converging and usually cohering with the middle sepal into a hood. [Subtribe CORYCIINAE.] 4 Lip free from the column, inserted at its base, rarely shortly adnate to it, but then petals not distinctly converging into a hood. [Subtribe SATYRIINAE.] 7 4. Lateral sepals united nearly to the apex.--Species 10. South Africa. =Corycium= Swartz Lateral sepals free. 5 5. Lateral sepals spurred or saccate.--Species 30. Southern and tropical Africa. =Disperis= Swartz Lateral sepals flat. 6 6. Column short. Lip broad at the base. Connective dilated.--Species 15. South Africa. (Including _Ommatodium_ Lindl.) =Pterygodium= Swartz Column long. Lip clawed. Connective not dilated.--Species 8. South Africa (Cape Colony). =Ceratandra= Eckl. 7. Lip posticous (uppermost), produced behind into a pair of descending spurs or sacs.--Species 90. Tropical and South Africa. Some are used in medicine. (Including _Aviceps_ Lindl. and _Satyridium_ Lindl.) =Satyrium= Swartz Lip usually anticous, not spurred, but sometimes with a sac-like cavity. 8 8. Odd sepal spurred or gibbous. 9 Odd sepal neither spurred nor gibbous. 13 9. Lip more or less saccate at the base. 10 Lip flat. 11 10. Lip very small, adnate to the column. Stem rather rigid. Leaves in the middle of the stem.--Species 9. South Africa and mountains of the tropics. =Brownleea= Harv. Lip rather large, free from the column. Stem very flexible. Leaves at the base of the stem.--Species 6. South Africa (Cape Colony). (Under _Disa_ Berg). =Schizodium= Lindl.