Dendrochilum Bl.

Abstract

A genus comprising over 250 species of montane herbs, predominantly epiphytic but sometimes terrestrial or saxicolous, Dendrochilum is distributed in the Indo-Malesian region occurring in cool, humid, well-lit habitats. The centres of diversity are Borneo, the Philippines and Sumatra, which have high mountains, each with 64, 75 and about 100 endemic species. Regions with modest elevation like Peninsular Malaysia or Thailand and those with a distinct dry season like East Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands have few species (Wood 2001). Many lowland or low montane species are widely distributed.