The genus is highly prized in horticulture for its showy, fragrant, long-lasting, and intensely colorful flowers.

[7][8] These mostly epiphytic, but sometimes lithophytic or terrestrial orchids, are distributed in India, Himalaya, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, southern China, and northern Australia.

The genus has a monopodial growth habit with flat, typically broad, ovoid leaves (strap-leaves).

Species with cylindrical (terete), fleshy leaves, which are adapted to dry periods were transferred to the genus Papilionanthe.

The stems of these orchids vary considerably in size; some are miniature plants and some have a length of several meters.

The plants can become quite massive in habitat and in cultivation, and epiphytic species possess very large, rambling aerial root systems.

Most show a yellow-brown color with brown markings, but they also appear in white, green, orange, red, and burgundy shades.

These plants prefer consistent conditions day-to-day in cultivation to avoid dropping their bottom leaves.

When grown bare-rooted, the epiphytic species require daily watering and weekly feeding and are very heavy feeders in cultivation.