Eria is a genus of epiphytic and lithophytic orchids belonging to the family Orchidaceae (order Asparagales). With more than 50 currently accepted species, the genus is distributed across a broad arc of tropical and subtropical Asia and the Pacific, ranging from China and the Himalayas through the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to New Guinea, Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia.
The genus has undergone significant taxonomic revision in recent decades. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the traditional, broadly conceived Eria was not monophyletic, leading to the segregation of large numbers of species into related genera including Bryobium, Cylindrolobus, Cryptochilus, Dendrolirium, Mycaranthes, Pinalia, and Plocoglottis, among others. As a result, the current circumscription of Eria is considerably narrower than its historical scope. Eria javanica is one of the best-known representatives of the genus as currently defined.
Distribution
Eria occurs across tropical and subtropical Asia and the Pacific, with species recorded in China, the Himalayas, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. Members grow as epiphytes on trees or as lithophytes on rocks in humid forest habitats.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus Eria has been substantially redefined through molecular phylogenetic work. A large number of species formerly placed here have been transferred to segregate genera — among them Bryobium, Cryptochilus, Dendrolirium, Mycaranthes, and Pinalia — leaving a much narrower core genus. The Plants of the World Online checklist (as of early 2021) recognises just over 50 species in the restricted sense.
