Polystachyinae

{{Short description|Subtribe of orchids}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Polystachya camaridioides Summerh.jpg

| image_caption = Polystachya camaridioides, a member of the type genus Polystachya

| image2 = Histoire particulière des plantes Orchidées recueillies sur les trois îles australes d'Afrique, de France, de Bourbon et de Madagascar (Tab. 091) BHL.jpg

| image2_caption = Botanical illustration of Hederorkis scandederis, which is a member of the second genus (Hederorkis) of the subtribe

| display_parents = 2

| taxon = Polystachyinae

| authority = Schlechter

| type_genus = Polystachya Hook.Missouri Botanical Garden. (n.d.-f). Polystachyinae Schltr. Tropicos. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from http://legacy.tropicos.org/Name/50169893

}}

Polystachyinae is a subtribe within the tribe Vandeae in family Orchidaceae. It consists of 2 genera and about 228 known species. The type genus of this subtribe is Polystachya. The group is pantropical, being native to tropical Africa primarily, but also to tropical America.Dressler, Robert L. Phylogeny and classification of the orchid family. (1993). p. 128. Cambridge University Press. Members of this group are epiphytic and are distinguished from the other subtribes in the tribe Vandeae by their sympodial growth habit and the presence of four pollinia. Pollination is mostly by small species of bees, however some species (e.g. Polystachya concrete) exhibit auto-pollination.Cingel, Nelis A. An Atlas of orchid pollination: America, Africa, Asia and Australia. (2001) CRC Press.