Shade, intermediary to hot,
There are more than 114 species spread throughout tropical America in this little known genus that lacks pseudobulbs and has a monopodial stem with closely arranged distichous leaves, that gives rise, opposite the leaf axil, to an often extremly fragrant, single flowered inflorescence. The flowers are perfect, with ovate to lanceolate, basally concave sepals and petals, distally three-lobed to anchor shaped to clawed ovate, projecting labellum with an erect column and a terminal anthre carrying 4 hard and waxy pollina. They are as a whole epiphytic and occur in wet montane forests at elevations of 200-2800 meters and are pollinated by male Euglossine bees. Many of the species are pendant growers and need treefern as a mount, but some are erect growers and can be kept in a pot. The majority of species are intermediate growers and need moderate shade and humid conditions, ample year round water and fertilizer, and with good air circulation.
