They are terrestrial, leafless myco-heterotrophs (formerly called saprophytes). They produce numerous, long, thick, horizontal roots under a short rhizome. The erect, dark, branched or unbranched stems are thin and brittle. They bear few to many dull brown, purple, yellow or green flowers with a somewhat brighter lip. The lip is about of equal length to the sepals and is covered with dense, yellow hair.
Characteristics for this species are:
A calyculus, a cup-like structure formed from a group of small bracts, is present.
The erect gynostemium (the fused stamen and pistil) is elongate.
^Cameron, K. M. (2009) On the Value of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Gene Sequences for Reconstructing the Phylogeny of Vanilloid Orchids (Vanilloideae, Orchidaceae). Annals of Botany 104 (3): 377–85.
Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.C. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2003) Genera Orchidacearum 3: 316 ff. Oxford University Press.
Orchid Research Newsletter 47 (January 2006) - Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.
Dariusz L. Szlachetko & Joanna Mytnik - Lecanorchis seidenfadeni (Orchidaceae, Vanilloideae), a new orchid species from Malaya; An.Bot.Fennici 37;227-230 (on line : [1])