After Don Antonio Caballero y Góngora, 18th century Bishop of Córdoba, Spain and one time Viceroy of New Granada.
Epiphytic herbs, sympodial, with short creeping rhizomes. Stems thickened into ovoid to pearshaped pseudobulbs, dense, grooved or ribbed, sheathed at base. Leaves apical, 2 or 3, large, leathery, pleated, stalked. Inflorescences basal racemes, arching or pendent, straight or zigzagged. Flowers pendent, few-many, small to medium sized, fragrant, swan- or insect-like, variously coloured. Sepals dissimilar, dorsal fused to column, laterals wider, fused to column foot, spreading or curved backwards. Petals smaller than sepals, joined to column. Labellum complex, fleshy, joined to column foot, divided into 2 parts; basal part (hypochile) erect, with 2 bristles or horns; apical part (epichile) pouched or laterally compressed. Column long, slender, curved, winged or wingless, with a foot. Pollinia 2, waxy.
About 25 species from Mexico to Brazil and the West Indies.
Smallish pendent flowers on long curved pedicels; complex labellum with horned side lobes and often pouched midlobe.
Source: (2005). Orchidaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
