Cleistes is a genus of orchids (family Orchidaceae). It contains approximately 40–50 species, most of them native to South America, with a few species extending north into Costa Rica and Trinidad. Two North American species were formerly included in this group, but are now regarded as a separate genus, Cleistesiopsis. References (1840) The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants 409. (2003) Genera Orchidacearum 3: 286 ff. Oxford University Press. External links Vanilloideae genera Pogonieae Orchids of Central America Orchids of South America