匙唇兰属 chi chun lan shu

Authors:Authors: Xinqi Chen & Jeffrey J. Wood

Herbs, epiphytic, monopodial, small. Stems pendulous or ascending, with condensed or elongated internodes, to 30 cm, sometimes branched, with several to many nodes. Leaves flat to subterete, fleshy, with sheathing base, blade jointed to sheath. Inflorescence axillary, racemose or paniculate, many flowered. Flowers usually not opening widely, white or red-purple, small, fleshy. Sepals similar, free, often dorsally carinate. Petals free, smaller than sepals; lip thickly fleshy, adnate to base of column, immovable, longer than petals, spurred at base, 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect; mid-lobe slightly larger, often spatulate; spur large, usually parallel to ovary, lacking interior calli. Column very short, stout, foot absent; stigma at base of column; anther and rostellum, pointed, geniculate; pollinia 4, appearing as 2 unequal masses, waxy, flat-globose or subglobose, attached by a common stipe to a narrowly elliptic to ovate viscidium.

About 24 species: from the Himalayan region, S India, and Sri Lanka to SE China and the Philippines, south to Indonesia and east to New Guinea, Australia, and the Pacific islands; three species in China.