Sepals free to base, subparallel; lateral sepals with an oblique 
base, together with short, incurved column-foot form a small, 
obtuse mentum. Petals agglutinate to dorsal sepal, at most with 
an oblique base. Lip sessile, arcuately conduplicate with a 
recurved apex, basally with thickened margins; lamina aggluti- 
nate in middle to sides of column. Column short, widened 
toward apex, basally produced in a short, incurved foot: 
stigmata 2, approximate to free, rostellum soft, undivided, very 
short, discernible only as a thin, truncate line above the edges of 
stigmata, with a distinct, membranaceous fovea of a thin 
membrane in the center which always breaks during drying, 
hence rostellum appears to be emarginate or incised in middle. 
Anther short, concave, rotund; pollinia short, clavate with a 
small, roundish viscidium tightly fitting into rostellar fovea. 
Ovary more or less arcuately cylindric, somewhat twisted. 
Terrestrial plants, commonly leafless during anthesis. Roots 
fasciculate, fleshy, fusiform, often stipitately fusiform. Leaves 
commonly absent during anthesis, when present, basal, petio- 
late. Stem erect, vaginate, terminated by a cylindric, densely 
many-flowered spike, rarely loosely secund. Flowers small to 
minute. 
LECTOTYPE: Ophrys unilateralis Poir. [Cabrera in DAGI 
1(6): 16, 1942] 
13 species native mainly to South America, especially Brazil 
and adjacent countries, with one species in Central America and 
the West Indies. 
Index to species 
aguacatensis (Rchb.f.) Schltr. = Brachystele guayanensis (Lind].) Schltr. 
Arechavaletae (Krzl.) Schltr. 
atramentaria (Krzl.) Schltr. = Brachystele Widgrenii (Rchb.f.) Schltr. 
bracteosa (Lindl.) Schltr. 
Brenesii (Schitr.) Schltr. = Brachystele guayanensis (Lind].) Schltr, 
Burkartii Correa 
camporum (Lindl.) Schltr. 
chlorops (Rchb.f.) Schltr. =Odontorrhynchus chlorops (Rchb.f.) Garay 
cyclochila (Krzl.) Schltr. 
cycloglossa (Krzl.) Schltr., sphalm. = Brachystele cyclochila (Krzl.) Schltr. 
delicatula (Krzl.) Schltr. 
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