Trichoglottis Blume,
Bijdr. (1825) 359
Monopodial epiphytes. Stem elongated. Leaves many, distichous, sheathing at the base, glabrous, deciduous, duplicate, leathery. Inflorescence lateral, a raceme, a panicle, or carrying a single flower. Flowers small to medium-sized, resupinate, often with red-brown spots. Sepals free. Petals free, usually narrower than the sepals. Lip with or without spur, not mobile, at the base with a hairy lamella. Column at the apex often with two stelidia, column-foot absent. Pollinia 4, unequal, arranged in two bodies, solid, caudicles absent, stipe present, viscidium present.
Distribution
Tropical Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Islands; about 60 species.
Distribution in the Philippines
Batanes, Luzon (Ilocos Norte, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Aurora, Tayabas, Camarines, Sorsogon), Polillo, Catanduanes, Biliran, Mindoro, Palawan, Bancalan, Lumbucan, Balabac, Panay, Negros, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Dinagat, Mindanao (Zamboanga, Lanao, Misamis, Surigao, Agusan, Bukidnon, Davao, Cotabato), Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi; 23 species.
Habitat
Epiphytes in lowland and hill forest.
Notes
The members of the genus Trichoglottis can be divided into two groups: those with inflorescences much shorter than the leaves, and those with inflorescences at least as long as the leaves. The latter group is often considered to represent a separate genus, called Staurochilus. In both groups, however, the structure of the flowers is very similar, and there seems to be little justification in keeping them apart. The lip varies from shallowly concave at the base to distinctly spurred; in each case an erect, hairy lamella is found at the base of the lip. Although little used in hybridisation, this genus is frequently cultivated by amateurs.