Terrestrial herbs, with a rather short rhizome and tufted roots. Roots fleshy, elongate. Stem erect, leafy, with several sheaths toward base. Leaves several, scattered, subsessile, plicate, papery. Raceme terminal, usually with several flowers; floral bracts very small, conspicuously shorter than pedicel and ovary, but lowest bract ± foliaceous. Flowers actinomorphic, erect, almost not twisted. Perianth composed of 3 similar sepals and 3 similar petals, lacking a modified lip. Column erect, relatively long, bearing at its apex a concave stigma with anther behind and 5 staminodes surrounding stigma; anther erect, 2-locular, with a short filament; among 5 staminodes, 3 opposite to petals, other 2 inconspicuous and resembling an extension of column ridges; pollinia 4, granular-farinaceous, lacking appendages; rostellum absent. Fruit a capsule.

For a detailed discussion on this genus, Diplandrorchis, and Holopogon, see Chen and Tsi (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 25: 329-339. 1987). One of us (Gale) believes that Tangtsinia nanchuanica is a peloric form of Cephalanthera falcata and that Tangtsinia should be considered congeneric with Cephalanthera.

● One species: China.

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