Family: Burmanniaceae

Habit: Terrestrial, mycotrophic or saprophytic herbs, sometimes with rhizomatous roots or tubers.

Main axis: Stems lacking chlorophyll, white to reddish-brown in color.

Leaves: Leaves simple, alternate, reduced to scale-like or seemingly absent, colorless to yellowish or reddish, rarely green.

Inflorescence: Inflorescence a terminal spike with sessile or pedicillate flowers.

Flowers: Flowers 1 to many per inflorescence, actinomorphic or rarely zygomorphic, bisexual; petals fused, 6-lobed, tubular or campanulate, the inner lobes with short acuminate apices; stamens 3 or 6, ovary inferior, 1-locular with parietal placentation or 3-locular with axile placentation.

Fruit: Fruit sessile or pedillate capsule or berry, brown when mature, sometimes indehiscent.

Infructescence: Infructescence thin, drying brown, sometimes with persistent bracts.

Seeds: Seeds tiny, various per fruit.