Goodyera are a wide-ranging genus of orchid, one of approximately 800 described Orchidaceae genera within that large and diverse family. The genus is named after botanist John Goodyer. There are about 25 species of Goodyera worldwide. Creeping rhizomes and rosettes of evergreen leaves characterize the genus. Goodyera is closely related to the genus Spiranthes. Goodyera flowers are characterized by a saccate nectary of the lip with a beak-shaped apex. Sepals and petals are connivant over the column. Pollinia in Goodyera are granular, in contrast to Cranichideae, another member of this tribe.