Eria bractescens Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 27(Misc.): 18 (1841)

Name meaning 'with bracts' referring to the inflorescens.

Synonyms
Dendrobium subterrestre Gagnep.
Eria bractescens var. latipetala Leav.
Eria dillwynii Hook.
Eria griffithii Rchb.f.
Eria kurzii Anderson ex Hook.f.
Eria littoralis Teijsm. & Binn.
Eria pulchella Griff. [Illegitimate]
Pinalia bractescens (Lindl.) Kuntze
Pinalia pulchella Kuntze
Tropilis subterrestris (Gagnep.) Rauschert

Description
A small to medium sized, hot to warm growing, epiphytic species occuring on the upper branches and forks of tall trees with very stout, erect, egg shaped to subcylindrical, swollen, fleshy, 2 to 3 noded below the leaves, green aging to green/red brown with white longitudinal striped pseudobulbs enveloped basally by a few scarious sheaths and carrying 2 [rarely 3] apical, elliptical to oblong green, thick, leathery, obtuse to rounded and unequally bilobed apically, gradually narrrowing below into the narrowly clasping base leaves that blooms in the summer on a short to 15 cm, axillary, suberect to spreading, purple to brown pubescent, bracteate, racemose, creamy white inflorescence arising from near the apex of the mature pseudobulb with a basal, triangular bract and 5 to 7 oblong, white, hairless bracts below the flowers and a reflexed, concave, oblong--elliptic, apiculate, hairless floral bract and carrying the the many [to 15] fragrant flowers crowded onto the apical half.

Ecology
Growing in lowland forests at elevations of 20 to 1800 meters.

Uses

Distribution
From the Himalayas to Indochina to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, Philippines and the Moluccas.

Local names