Schoenorchis micrantha Reinw. 1823

Plant Photos courtesy of Dr. E.F. de Vogel, André Schuiteman, and Jaap Vermeulen and Their Netherlands National Herbarium Website

Inflorescence Photo courtesy of Andy's Orchids Copyright © 2002 All rights reserved.

Common Name The Small Flowered Schoenorchis - The Tangled Flea Orchid

Flower Size 1/8" [1.5 mm]

This epiphitic, miniature to small sized, hot growing epiphyte with terete leaves is found in Thailand, Vietnam, penninsular Malaysia, Java, Borneo, Papua and New Guinea, the Philippines, Queensland Australia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa and Fiji in riverine hill and lower montane forests at elevations around 50 to 1300 meters on branches of trees with densely branched stems carrying two ranked, terete, fleshy, several fleshy, arched, acute leaves and blooms in the winter and again in the late spring and summer on a lateral, sharply descending, 3/8" to 1 1/4" [1 to 3 cm] long, racemose inflorescence that has many [30] small fragrant, tubular shaped flowers. Best mounted an anything other than treefern, given moderate shade with no direct sunlight, high humidity and ample air circulation.

Synonyms Gastrochilus chionanthus (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Gastrochilus perpusillus (Hook.f.) Kuntze 1891; Saccolabium chionanthum Lindl. 1859; Saccolabium perpusillum Hook. f. 1890; Saccolabium plebejum J.J.Sm. 1912; Schoenorchis densiflora Schltr. 1913; Schoenorchis densiflora var. abbreviata Schltr. 1913; Schoenorchis plebeja (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. 1913

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Von Java J.J.Sm. 1905 as Saccolabium chionanthum; Orchidaceae of German New Guinea Schlechter 1914/1985 as Schoenorchis densiflora; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfeaden & Smitinand 1959 drawing, photo; Orchidiana Philipiniana Vol 1 Valmayor 1984; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 7 1985 photo; The Orchids of Vanuatu Lewis & Cribb 1989; Orchids of Vanuatu Lewis & Cribb 1989; Orchids of Java Comber 1990; A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo Wood & Cribb 1994; Native Orchids of New Caledonia Societe' Neo-Caledonienne D' Orchidophile 1995; The Orchids of Samoa Cribb & Whistler 1996; Orchids of Sumatra Comber 2001; Flora Malesiana Orchids of the Philippines Vol I Agoo, Shuiteman and de Vogel 2003; Native Orchids of Australia Jones 2006; Flora Malesia Orchids of New Guinea Vol V 2008;