Rhomboda

Rhomboda, commonly known as velvet jewel orchids, is a genus of about twenty species of flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are mostly terrestrial herbs with a fleshy, creeping rhizome and a loose rosette of green to maroon coloured leaves. Small resupinate or partly resupinate, dull coloured flowers are borne on a hairy flowering stem. The dorsal sepal and petals overlap and form a hood over the column and there is a deep pouch at the base of the labellum. They are found in tropical regions from northern India through Southeast Asia, China, Japan to Australia and some Pacific Islands.

==Description== Orchids in the genus Rhomboda are usually terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, sympodial herbs with a creeping, fleshy, above-ground rhizome anchored to the ground by wiry roots. A few species are epiphytic. The leaves are spirally arranged around the stem with the upper leaves forming a loose rosette. They are dark green to maroon or brownish with a central white or red line. The flowers are resupinate or partly resupinate with the dorsal sepal and petals fused to form a hood over the column. The lateral sepals are similar to the dorsal sepal, free and often spreading. The labellum has a deep pouch near its base, a narrow middle section and often has a hooked tip.