Species in the genus are distributed from New Guinea down to Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.
Plants grow from small tubers, in some species producing a rosette of leaves.
All species are deciduous. An intriguing feature of the species in this genus is their touch sensitive lip, which flips back against the column wings when tou-ched by an insect thus trapping it. The only way out for the insect is to force its way between the anther and the lip or waiting for the lip to reopen. Three species have been described but it is possible that only two exist. Found in moist situations in open forests, in sandy soils or among rocks.