Microchilus ovatus (Lindl.) D.Dietr. 1852

Drawing by © Dunsterville & Garay and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name The Ovate Microchilus [refers to the leaves?]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Colombia, Venezuela and Peru in cool, wet cloud forests at elevations around 2500 meters as a medium sized [in flower], cold growing terrestrial with a decumbent, becoming erect, terete, pubescent above the leaves, glabrous below stem carrying 5, spiraling up the stem, well spaced, ovate, acute, velvety green above, smooth somewhat greyish green beneath, petiolate base leaves that blooms on an erect, terminal, racemose, long pedunculate, pubescent, to 8" [20 cm] long, rachis pubescent, initially club-like elongating and becoming cylindric with age, successively several, many flowered inflorescence with ovate, obtuse, pubescent, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying small, tubular, spirally arranged flowers

CAUTION I have no way of verifying this determination, Kew says the orchid is from Peru and Bolivia, Dunsterville says it is from Colombia, Venezuela and Peru. More research is nessesary. Please use with caution!!!!

Synonyms Erythrodes ovata (Lindl.) Ames 1922; Microchilus peytonorum Ormerod 2005; Microchilus peytonorum subsp. juxtasilvae Ormerod 2007; *Physurus ovatus Lindl. 1840

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Studies in the family Orchidaceae Vol VII Ames 1922 as Erythrodes ovata; Orchids of Peru Vol 1 Schweinfurth 1958 as Erythrodes ovata; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1965 as Erythrodes ovatus drawing fide; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969 as Erythrodes ovata drawing fide; Macchu Picchu Orchids Christenson 2003 as Erythrodes ovata

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------