Dendrochilum Blume,
Bijdr. (1825) 398
Sympodial epiphytic or rarely terrestrial plants with very short to long rhizomes. Pseudobulbs consisting of one internode, one-leaved. Leaves not sheathing at the base, glabrous, sometimes plicate, rarely [only in the Philippines] terete; deciduous, convolute or duplicate, thin-textured, sometimes rather stiff, rarely leathery. Inflorescence lateral from the base of the pseudobulb (heteranthous), or terminal from the young developing shoot (synanthous), a few- to many-flowered raceme, with the flowers arranged in two rows. Flowers small, usually resupinate, usually greenish, yellowish or brownish. Sepals usually free. Petals free, usually similar to the dorsal sepal. Lip without spur, mobile or not. Column often with two lateral arms. Column-foot absent or very short. Pollinia 4, solid, caudicles present, stipe absent, viscidium absent.
Distribution
Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea; about 280 species.
Distribution in the Philippines
Throughout the Philippines; 90 species. Pedersen (1997) recognises several areas of endemism. See the following map: DENDRO~1.JPG. In this map the red areas are those where at least one endemic species of Dendrochilum occurs. The numbers correspond with the number of endemic species in each of these aeas of endemism.
Habitat
Epiphytes in lowland and montane forest.
Notes
This relative of Coelogyne is richly represented in the Philippines, especially in the mountains. In fact, no other area in the world has so many species of Dendrochilum as the Philippines. They are epiphytes with elegant racemes of small, mainly concolorous flowers arranged in two rows. A few species, such as Dendrochilum cobbianum Rchb.f. and Dendrochilum glumaceum Lindl., are traditionally widely cultivated, but in recent years many more Philippine species have become popular.