Nervilia
| Shield orchids | |
|---|---|
| Nervilia concolor in the Tsukuba Botanical Garden | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Tribe: | Nervilieae |
| Subtribe: | Nerviliinae Schltr. |
| Genus: | Nervilia Comm. ex Gaudich. |
| Species | |
|
About 65, see text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Nervilia, commonly known as shield orchids, is a genus of orchids with about 80 species widely distributed across most of sub-Saharan Africa, southern Asia (Saudi Arabia, India, China, Japan, Indochina, Indonesia, etc.), Australia, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Six species occur in Australia (2 or 3 of these endemic), with 16 in India, 10 in China and 5 in South Africa.