Eria Lindl., Bot. Reg. 11: ad t. 904. (1825).
By: Devendra M. Bajracharya
Taxon Description
Plant epiphytic, lithophytic, or rarely terrestrial. Rhizomes condensed, confined to the base of pseudobulbs. Pseudobulbs with one recognizable internode below the leaves. Leaves two, conduplicate, not sheathing at the base, dorsiventrally flattened. Inflorescences, synanthous, pubescent or glabrous, sheathed at base floral bracts minute or distinct, sometimes reduced to a thickened ring, glabrous. Flowers resupinate, opening or partially closed, usually cream-colored to pale yellow, ovary and pedicel glabrous or pubescent. Sepals unequal, glabrous, lateral sepals slightly ventrally broadened at base, recurved at apex; mentum distinct. Petals similar to sepals; glabrous on their adaxial surface. Lip 3-lobed, mid-lobe of lip with 5-9 wavy keels. Column short, foot incurved. Pollinia yellow, 8, joined together by granular caudicles; clinandrium strongly winged, triangular-ovate, grooved, with rounded edges; rostellum flattened or reflexed; stigmatic cavity orbicular or flask-shaped. Capsules elliptic to obpyriform or oblanceolate-oblong, shortly stalked.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide 15 species: distributed in mainland Asia, Himalaya, SE Asia, China and Australasia. Two species in Nepal.
Key to Species
1a Pseudobulbs ovoid or ellipsoid. Flowers closed ———————————————————1. E. clausa
b Pseudobulbs slender, cylindrical. Flowers open ——————————————————2. E. coronaria
1. Eria clausa King & Pantling, J. Asiatic. Soc. Beng. Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 65: 121 (1896).
Plants epiphytic, 4–15 cm tall. Rhizomes creeping, cylindrical, covered by tubular, distant sheaths. Pseudobulb ovoid or ellipsoid, 1.5–4 cm long, blunt at apex, single node, base clothed with fibrous sheaths. Leaves 2, elliptic-lanceolate, 4–15 x 2–2.5 cm, acute to acuminate, petiolate, 0.8–2 cm, grooved. Inflorescence solitary, synanthous, rarely 2, up to 10 cm, racemose, erect, laxly 5- to 10-flowered, penducle 1.5 — 3 cm, with 2 membranous sheaths at base, glabrous. Floral bract minute, sometime represented by thickened ring at the base of flower. Flower pale greenish with brown streaks, partially closed, 0.7–1,2 cm long, ca. 0.8–1 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 0.5–1 cm, glabrous. Sepal unequal. Dorsal sepal oblong-lanceolate, 6–10 x 3–4 mm, obtuse to sub-acute, glabrous. Lateral sepals oblong-lanceolate, 6–8 x 2–3 mm, acute, falcate, mentum 4–6 mm long, globose, conical, obtuse. Petals oblong-elliptic, weakly falcate, ca. 8 x 2–3 mm, oblong, obtuse, glabrous. Lip 3-lobed, oblong or obovate, 9–10 x 6 mm, lateral lobes obliquely rounded, 7 x 2 mm, near the apex, the edge entire, mid-lobe broadly ovate, 9–10 x 6 mm, obtuse, short, caruncled, globose, disk with 5–7 sinuous, raised, parallel lamellae from base to apex. Column ca. 3 mm. Capsules 1–1.5 x 0.6–0.8 cm elliptic to obpyriform.
Distribution: Nepal, E. Himalaya, China and SE Asia.
Altitudinal range: 1000-2700 m.
Ecology: Epiphytic on tree trunks and lithophytic on boulder in tropical and temperate forest.
Flowering: February – May.
2. Eria coronaria (Lindl.) Rchb. f. in Walpers, Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 271 (1864).
Coelegyne coronaria Lindl. in Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 27 (misc.): 83, no 178 (1841).
Plants epiphytic, 8–38 cm tall. Rhizomes condensed, confined to the base of pseudobulbs. Pseudobulb tufted, cylindric, elongate, 8–36 cm, tufted, slender, with a single node, covered with fibrous sheaths. Leaves 2, elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 9–21 x 2–4 cm, sub-opposite, acute, coriaceous. Inflorescence solitary, terminal, up to 20 cm long, synanthous, racemose, erect, laxly 4- to 6-flowered, peduncle 5–15 cm, sheathed at base, glabrous. Floral bract greenish brown, linear-lanceolate, 2.5–5 x 2–3 mm, acute, glabrous. Flower white or greenish yellow and fragrant, creamy, open, 2–3 cm long, 3.5–4.5 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 0.5 –1 cm, sparsely puberulous. Sepal unequal. Dorsal sepal elliptic–oblong, 15–2 x 7–8 mm, sub-acute or obtuse, glabrous. Lateral sepals elliptic-lanceolate, 1.6–2 x 7–8 mm, obtuse, slightly oblique falcate, saccate mentum. 5–8 mm long, conical, obtuse. Petals elliptic-oblong, falcate, 12 — 18 mm, acute, thin, glabrous. Lip 3-lobed, oblong, 6–17 x 9–10 mm, lateral lobes 1 — 1.2 x 0.3 — 0.5 cm, rounded, white flushed with purple externally and having some dark streaks of purple on the lateral lobes, mid-lobe 0.5 — 0.8 x 0.4 — 0.6 cm,, sub-orbicular or triangular, acute, disk with 5–7 undulate lamellae, unequal, crenate ridges, yellow with purple dots, extending from base to apex of the mid-lobe. Column ca. 5-7 mm. Capsules 2 — 4.5 x 0.6 — 0.8 cm oblanceolate-oblong.
Distribution: Nepal, E. Himalaya, China and SE Asia.
Altitudinal range: 1600-2300 m.
Ecology: On mossy rocks and trees.
Flowering: October – January.
Note: Eria scabrilinguis Lindl. was reported by BB Raskoti in Phytotaxa 194 (4) 257-266 (2019). The specimen (BB Raskoti 76) was collected in Central Nepal Myagdi District at 1200 m and deposited in KATH Herbarium. Upon detailed examination, the specimen was identified as Eria clausa