Microchilus luniferus (Schltr.) Ormerod 2002

Drawing by © Hagsater & Salazar and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Deep shade Hot Cool MID Winter Spring

Common Name The Moon-Shaped Microchilus [refers to the lobes of the lip]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica at elevations of 150 to 1800 meters as a small sized [in flower], hot to cool growing terrestrial with pilose roots and a decumbent, glabrous stem carrying 5 to 7, spiraling up the stem, well spaced, obliquely elliptic to ovate elliptic, acute to acuminate, deep green with light green varigation, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the mid winter through spring on an erect, racemose, shortly pedunculate, with 2 to 3, lanceolate, apressed bracts, septate pubescent, 3.2 to 6" [8 to 15 cm] long, successively several, 20 to more flowered inflorescence with linear-lanceolate, acuminate, sparsely pilose floral bracts and carrying small, tubular, resupinate flowers

Synonyms Erythrodes argyrosticta (Schltr.) Ames 1922; Erythrodes chicharrasensis Ames 1922; Erythrodes lunifera (Schltr.) Ames 1922; Physurus argyrostictus Schltr. 1920; *Physurus luniferus Schltr. 1918;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Studies in the family Orchidaceae Vol VII Ames 1922 as Erythrodes argyrostica; Studies in the family Orchidaceae Vol VII Ames 1922 as Erythrodes chicharrasensis; Studies in the family Orchidaceae Vol VII Ames 1922 as Erythrodes lunifera; Icones Orchidacearum 1 plate 43 Hagsater & Salazar 1990 as Erythrodes lunifera drawing fide; Manual De Plants De Costa Rica Vol III Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003 as Erythrodes lunifera; Orquideas de Farallones de Cali Galindo-Tarazona, Haelterman, Zuluaga Trochez and Sebastian Moreno 2020 as M cf lunifer photo good

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