Smithorchis is a monotypic genus contains the single species Smithorchis calceoliformis, an orchid endemic to north-western Yunnan province, China. Its closest relatives are the genera Diphylax and Herminium; it differs from them in having a long, creeping rhizome, and flowers which are non-resupinate (upside-down relative to those of most other orchids) and have no prominent rostellum. It lives at altitudes of 3,200–4,000 metres (10,500–13,100 ft) in alpine grasslands. It was originally described by William Wright Smith in 1921 as Herminium calceoliforme, having been collected by George Forrest in 1914 on the watershed between the Mekong and Yangtze rivers. It is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.