Greek dendron – tree; cheilos – lip or chilos − green food; an allusion either to the epiphytic habit and the conspicuous labellum or the epiphytic habit and the obtaining of food from the surface of trees.
Epiphytic or epilithic herbs, sympodial, with creeping scaly rhizomes. Stems thickened into ovoid or cylindrical pseudobulbs, sparse or dense, sheathed at base. Leaves apical, 1 or 2, narrow, leathery, stalked. Inflorescences lateral racemes, long, arching. Flowers resupinate, many, 2-ranked, crowded, small, fragrant, variously coloured. Sepals similar, spreading, dorsal free and keeled, laterals fused to base of column. Petals usually smaller than sepals, free. Labellum simple or 3-lobed, side lobes embracing column, midlobe large, spreading, often 2- or 3-keeled. Column short, sometimes winged or hooded at tip, with a foot. Pollinia 4, ovoid, waxy.
Generally referred to as the Golden Chain Ochids.
About 120-230 species from SE Asia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Guinea.
Many small flowers in long dense racemes resembling a chain.
Pedersen (1997).
Source: (2005). Orchidaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.