Liparis, commonly known as widelip orchids, sphinx orchids or 羊耳蒜属 is a cosmopolitan genus of more than 350 species of orchids in the family Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are terrestrial, lithophytic or epiphytic herbs with a wide range of forms. The flowers are usually resupinate and small to medium sized, yellow, yellow-green or purplish with spreading sepals and petals. The labellum is usually larger than the sepals and petals and is lobed, sometimes with a toothed or wavy margin and one or two calli at its base.

Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars was an eminent French botanist known for his work collecting and describing orchids from the three islands of Madagascar, Mauritius and Réunion. The standard author abbreviation Thouars is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.