Aerides paniculata Ker Gawler, Bot. Reg. 3: ad t. 220. 1817; Cleisostoma cerinum Hance; C. formosanum Hance; C. fuscomaculatum (Hayata) Garay; C. unciferum (Schlechter) Garay; Garayanthus fuscomaculatus (Hayata) Szlachetko; G. paniculatus (Ker Gawler) Szlachetko; Sarcanthus cerinus (Hance) Rolfe; S. formosanus (Hance) Rolfe; S. fuscomaculatus Hayata; S. paniculatus (Ker Gawler) Lindley; S. uncifer Schlechter; Vanda paniculata (Ker Gawler) R. Brown.

Stems erect, compressed terete, elongate, more than 20 cm, usually 5-8 mm in diam., sometimes branching, many leaved. Leaves distichous, flat, narrowly oblong or linear, 10-25 × 0.8-2 cm, leathery, ± conduplicate at base, unequally bilobed, sometimes mucronate in sinus. Inflorescence axillary, much longer than leaves, many branched, many flowered; floral bracts ovate, ca. 2 mm. Flowers opening widely; sepals and petals yellowish green abaxially, purplish brown adaxially, margins and midvein yellow, lip yellow; pedicel and ovary ca. 1 cm. Dorsal sepal suboblong, concave, ca. 4.5 × 2 mm, obtuse; lateral sepals obliquely oblong, ca. 4.5 × 2.5 mm, base adnate to column foot. Petals slightly smaller than sepals; lip with lateral lobes erect, deltoid, relatively small, apex obtuse, proximal margin sometimes ± thickened-callose; mid-lobe fleshy, apex upcurved and incurved-beaked, with 2 basal backward subulate lobules, adaxially with a ridge highly raised at apex; spur straight, ca. 4.5 mm, apex obtuse, interior usually septate, with a back wall callus; callus rectangular, longitudinally concave at center, base slightly bilobed and densely papillate-hairy. Column stout; anther cap truncate, incised; stipe short, broad, geniculate-folded at base; viscidium crescent-shaped or saddlelike, large. Fl. May-Jun. 2n = 38, 42.

Epiphytic on tree trunks in broad-leaved evergreen forests, lithophytic on rocks along wooded valleys; 200-1300 m. N Fujian, S Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, E Jiangxi, S and SW Sichuan, Taiwan, SE Xizang [Vietnam].