Coryciinae

Coryciinae is a subtribe of orchids that has been differently defined and placed in the two classification systems that are currently in use for orchids. Genera Orchidacearum, which is currently the definitive work on orchid taxonomy, delimits Coryciinae as consisting of five genera: Disperis, Evotella, Ceratandra, Pterygodium, and Corycium, and it places Coryciinae in the mostly African tribe Diseae, along with four other subtribes: Brownleeinae, Huttonaeinae, Disinae, and Satyriinae. The genera of Coryciinae are small to medium in size and the number of species in each genus is as follows: Disperis (78), Pterygodium (19), Corycium (15), Ceratandra (6), and Evotella (1).

Coryciinae was covered, along with the rest of the tribe Diseae, in volume 2 of Genera Orchidacearum, which was published in 2001. Molecular phylogenetic studies published after 2001 showed that Disperis is most closely related to Brownleea, rather than to the other genera of Coryciinae. They also showed that the tribe Diseae is paraphyletic over the tribe Orchideae. The smaller version of Coryciinae, with Disperis excluded, is known as Coryciinae sensu stricto, and has 41 species. All are from southern Africa except Pterygodium ukingense, which is from Tanzania. Most are from the Cape Floristic Region. There is a second center of diversity in the Drakensberg. Coryciinae s.s. is distinct and supported by five morphological characters.