 The genus "Tropidia" was first formally described in 1833 by John Lindley and the description was published in "Edwards's Botanical Register".The name "Tropidia" is derived from the Ancient Greek word "tropidos" meaning "keel", referring to the boat-shaped labellum of some species in this genus.Species in the genus "Tropidium" grow in deep shade in evergreen monsoon forests and are native to China, Japan, the Indian Subcontinent, Indonesia, Indochina, Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, Latin America (from Mexico to Ecuador), the West Indies, Florida, and some Pacific Islands including the Solomons, Fiji, New Caledonia, the Galápagos and Vanuatu.