Aerides (Lour., 1790), or the Cat's-tail Orchid or the Fox Brush Orchid, is a genus of the Orchid family (Orchidaceae) (subfamily Vandoideae, tribe Vandeae, subtribe Sarcanthinae).

They occur mainly in Asia : the Indian subcontinent, Nepal, Southern China, SE Asia, the Philippines, New Guinea.

They form pendulous racemes with many fragrant, long-lasting, waxy flowers, in white, (rarely) yellow, purple or pink colors, with a forward facing spur, growing on stout many-leaved stems from the leaf axils.

The leaves grow distichously (in two vertical rows). The leaf margins are bilobed, while the apex is emarginate.

There are ligules. Morphologically, they are very similar to Vanda.

There are 25 monopodial epiphytic species in this genus, (with the exception of Aerides krabviensis, which is a lithophyte).

Species

• Aerides augustianum (Philippines).
• Aerides crassifolium (Indo-China).
• Aerides crispum (SW. India).
• Aerides emericii (Andaman Is.)
• Aerides falcatum (Indo-China)
• Aerides flabellatum (China (S. Yunnan) to Indo-China)
• Aerides houlletianum (Laos, Thailand, Vietnam).
• Aerides inflexum (Borneo to Sulawesi).
• Aerides × jansonii (Myanmar).
• Aerides jarckianum (Philippines).
• Aerides krabiense (Pen. Thailand to Pen. Malaysia) - lithophyte
• Aerides lawrenciae (Philippines).
• Aerides leeanum (Philippines).
• Aerides macmorlandii (India).
• Aerides maculosum (SW. India).
• Aerides multiflorum : multiflowered Aerides (Himalaya to Indo-China).
• Aerides odoratum (S. China to Trop. Asia).
• Aerides orthocentrum China (Yunnan).
• Aerides quinquevulnerum : Orchid of the Sacred Sleep (Philippines, New Guinea).
• Aerides ringens (S. India, Sri Lanka, Andaman Is).
• Aerides roebelenii (Philippines).
• Aerides roseum (E. Himalaya to S. China and Indo-China).

Aerides odoratum

• Aerides savageanum (Philippines).
• Aerides shibatianum (Philippines).
• Aerides thibautianum (Java, Sulawesi).
• Aerides timoranum (Lesser Sunda Is, Timor).