Sarcopodium Lindley & Paxton (1850), not Ehrenberg ex Brongniart (1824).

Herbs, epiphytic or terrestrial. Rhizome aerial, creeping and climbing, terminating in a pseudobulb consisting of 1 internode; roots granulose. New shoot arising at base of pseudobulb, sometimes pendulous, covered with conspicuous imbricate chestnut or pale brown sheaths when young. Pseudobulbs usually short and conic, or ovoid, often quadrate, remote or less often contiguous, comprised of 1 internode, usually covered with brown sheaths when young, apex 1- or 2[or 3]-leaved. Leaves distal, shortly petiolate or sessile, oblong, obovate, or elliptic, fleshy, leathery, articulate. Inflorescences pseudoterminal, borne generally on most recent pseudobulb, but occasionally on an unflowered or previously flowered penultimate stem, slender, arising between or just below leaves, 1- to several flowered, usually racemose; floral bracts chestnut, usually much shorter than pedicel and ovary, membranous. Flowers long-lasting, resupinate, medium-sized to large, stellate. Sepals and petals free, narrowly elliptic, subequal. Dorsal sepal enclosing column; lateral sepals larger, oblique and adnate to column foot forming a short, conspicuous mentum. Petals long decurrent on mentum, usually slightly narrower; lip pandurate-oblong, rather narrow, 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect; mid-lobe spreading; disk with a callus lobulate or ridged at base, often of 2 longitudinal lamellae. Column short to rather long, with or without short stelidia, foot long; rostellum subrotund, entire; pollinia 4 in 2 pairs (possibly sometimes only 2), waxy, naked, i.e., without caudicle or viscidium.

The genus Epigeneium was monographed by Seidenfaden (Dansk Bot. Ark. 34(1): 1-104. 1980).

Reviewer L. Averyanov notes that Epigeneium chapaense Gagnepain (Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., sér. 2, 4: 596. 1932), described from N Vietnam, also occurs in S China. However, the present authors could not substantiate this record because they found no relevant specimens.

About 35 species: Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam; 11 species (four endemic) in China.

(Authors: Chen Xinqi (陈心启 Chen Sing-chi); Jeffrey J. Wood)