Microchilus venezuelanus (Garay & Dunst.) Ormerod 2002

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

Full shade Hot Warm

Common Name The Venezuelan Microchilus

Flower Size .04" [1 mm]

Found in Miranda state of Venezuela in forests at elevations around 400 to 800 meters as a small to medium sized [in flower], hot to warm growing terrestrial with a creeping rhizome giving rise to a decumbent, becoming erect, terete, glabrous stem carrying narrowly lanceolate, dorsally shiny and glacous, ventrally dull shiny velvety, ovate, acute, subpetiolate, tapering, lightly sulcate base leaves that blooms on an erect, terminal, slender, racemose, peduncle terete, glabrous, 4.8" [12 cm] long, rachis lightly pubescent, 3.12" [7.8 cm] long overall, densely, successively few, many flowered inflorescence with longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying externally sparsely pubescent flowers.

"This is one of the smallest flowered species of the genus and is rather easily distinguished by the oblong-fusiform spur and transversely elliptic to transversly reniform-ligulate epichile that is minutely papillose-pubescent." Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017

Synonyms *Erythrodes venezuelana Garay & Dunst. 1976; Physurus venezuelanus Schltr. ex Knuth 1927 nom. nud.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 43: 220 Schlechter ex Kunth 1927 as Physurus venezuelanus nom. nud.

Acta Biol. Venez. 2, 31: 372 Foldats 1959 nom. nud.

Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969 as Erythrodes venezuelana nom. nud.;

Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 as Erythrodes venezuelana drawing fide;

* Lindleyana 17: 223 Ormerod 2002

Orchids of the Department of Valle del Cauca Vol 1 Kolanowski & Szlachetko 2012

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 1: 337 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017 drawing fide

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