Encyclia microtos (Rchb. f.) Hoehne 1952 Photo by © Ruben Sauleda

Reichenbach's TYPE Collection sheet by © Reichenbach Herbarium

What is commonly known as E microtis NOT! Photo by © Ed Merkle

Another Flower of what is commonly known as E microtis NOT Photo by © Carlos Hajek and his Peruvian Orchid Page

Common Name The Tiny-Eared Encyclia

Flower Size 1 1/4" [3 cm]

Found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil in wet montane forests as a small sized, caespitose, warm growing epiphyte at elevations around 600 meters with ellipsoid, conical or tapered above, glossy smooth pseudobulbs subtended by several scarious sheaths. There are 2, apical, linear-oblong and conduplicate, clasping at the base leaves that bloom in the winter in nature on a terminal, erect, then arching, to 40" [to 100 cm] long, paniculate, loosely 3 to 5 flowered on each separate branch, many flowered inflorescence covered with pustules or whitish pappilae.

CAUTION!!!!! Ruben Sauleda HAS FOUND in southern Colombia what has commonly been known as E microtis [mostly in Ecuador and Peru] is not that, as to what we are still working on. Reference Reichenbach's type above and you can see that the petals and side lobes of the lip are not right for the commonly accepted E microtis but exact for Ruben's photo.

Synonyms *Epidendrum microtos Rchb. f. 1856

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Bonplandia 4: 326 Rchb.f 1856 as Epidendrum microtis;

*Arq. Bot. Estado São Paulo, n.s., f.m., 2: 152 Hoehne 1952;

Orchids of Peru Vol 2:474 Fieldiana Schweinfurth 1959 as Epidendrum microtos;

Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol VI Withner 2000 photo/drawing hmmm not;

Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 037 Bennett & Christenson 1993 drawing hmm not;

Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 hmm not;

Las Orquideas del Peru Izersky & Bezverhov 2011 hmm not;

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol IV:457 Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023 drawing good;

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