Greek lembos – boat or canoe; glossa – tongue; an allusion to the boat shaped labellum callus.
Epiphytic herbs, sympodial, with short creeping rhizomes. Stems thickened into ovoid pseudobulbs, compressed, clustered, subtended by sheaths. Leaves apical, 1?3, leathery. Inflorescences basal racemes, erect to pendent. Flowers resupinate, few?many, large, showy, often yellow with brown markings. Sepals similar, free. Petals similar to sepals or wider, free. Labellum entire or obscurely 3- lobed, clawed, side lobes small and erect, midlobe large, callus boat shaped. Column long, slender, often toothed or lobed at tip. Pollinia 2, waxy. Syn. Cymbiglossum Halb.
About 14 species from Mexico, C America and S America.
The large, often yellowish flowers with prominent brownish spots or suffusions; differs from Odontoglossum by the clawed labellum and the boat shaped callus.
Halbinger (1984).
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.
