SUBGENUS Dracontia Luer 1986
Characterized by the caespitose habit and a ramicaul as long or longer than the leaf and an inflorescence that arises from the ramicaul through a spathe with or without a distinct annulus a short distance below the abscission layer. The spathe subtending the inflorescence is large conspicuous and foliaceous in 3 species. The relatively large flowers are bourne successively or simultaneously in loose, racememes with flowers that have tailess sepals but some speceies have a dorsal sepal with narrowly acute apices. The lateral sepals are connate from midway to deeply connate into a synsepal that is shortly bifid at the apex. The column is relatively short and often thickened towards the base and the well developed foot has a more or less free tip that is sometimes curved and reminiscent of the free-incurved extension of the column foot seen in Masdevallia. The anther is subapical or ventral with a pair of free, ovoid pollina other than in P macrantha that has a conspicuously elongated anther cap and the stigma is ventral in all spcies of the section.
Divided into three sections
SUBGENUS Dracontia Luer 1986 SECTION Brodingnagia
Characterized by the large leaves, ramicauls and flowers and the elongated petals that are longitudinally carinate on the inner surface.
SUBGENUS Dracontia Luer 1986 SECTION Cylindria
Characterized by the lip with longitudinal involute sides that create a tube.
SUBGENUS Dracontia Luer 1986 SECTION Dracontia
Separated by the broad, obtuse, concave, usually conspicuously three veined petals and a fleshy, more or less verrucose, subcylindrical anterior lobe of the lip with erect, obtuse lobes below the middle.
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