125. Aeridostachya (J. D. Hooker) Brieger in Brieger et al., Schlechter Orchideen. 1(11-12): 714. 1981.
气穗兰属 qi sui lan shu
Authors: Xinqi Chen, Yi-Bo Luo & Jeffrey J. Wood
Eria sect. Aeridostachya J. D. Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 5: 786. 1890 ["Acridostachya"].
Herbs, epiphytic or terrestrial. Stem well spaced on a stout rhizome, or clustered, short, stout, fleshy but noticeably swollen, base densely covered by imbricate sheaths. Leaves distichous, erect, conduplicate, narrowly oblanceolate or oblanceolate, leathery. Inflorescence arising from upper nodes of stem, erect and terminated by an arching, densely flowered, bottlebrush-like raceme, covered by short, dense, stellate hairs. Flowers small, not resupinate or ovary only slightly twisted, usually cream-colored or yellow, sometimes purplish, or appearing brownish due to brown stellate-hairy indumentum. Sepals densely brown stellate-hairy abaxially; dorsal sepal triangular; lateral sepals obliquely dilated at base, adnate to much elongated column foot forming a long, distinct conic mentum. Petals oblong, smaller than sepals, narrow; lip erect, entire, or obscurely 3-lobed, joined contiguously to column foot, closely pressed to column and column foot, often expanding at base or folded in such a way as to form a pouch. Column short, foot usually longer, often rather sigmoid; pollinia 8, ellipsoid or clavate, ± equal in shape and size.
Possibly 15 species: China (Taiwan), Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, Pacific islands, Philippines, Thailand; one species in China.