They have relatively narrow, dark green leaves and small, dull-coloured resupinate flowers with the dorsal sepal and petals overlapping to form a hood over the column.

Orchids in the genus Zeuxine are terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, sympodial herbs with a fleshy, creeping, above-ground rhizome anchored by wiry roots.

[1][7][8] The name Zeuxine is derived from the Latin word zeuxis meaning "joining" or "yoking"[9] in apparent reference to either the partly fused column or to the pollinia.

[3] Plants in the genus Zeuxine usually grow in dark, moist forests where the humidity is always high or near swamps and seepage areas.

[3][4][5][6] The following is a list of species of Zeuxine recognised by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as at August 2018:[1]