Microchilus plantagineus (L.) D.Dietr 1852
Photo by Jose D Alicea and his Flickr Orchid Photo Website
Photo by Mark Nir and Orchidaceae Antillannae
Photo by Richard GAUTIER and his Guadeloupe Orchid Website
Drawing of Erythrodes platanginea
Drawing by M Henriquez/Ackerman 1995
Common Name The Plantago-Like Erythrodes
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Leewards, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, the Windwards, Venezuela French Guiana and Surinam in underbrush of humid montane forests at elvations around 1200 meters as a medium to giant sized, cool growing terrestrial with an erect stem carrying 4 to 6, ovate-elliptic, basally abruptly contrascted below into the petiolate base leaves and blooms in the fall through spring on a terminal, hairy, 12 to 18" [30 to 45 cm] long, loosely many flowered racemose inflorescence ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, scarcely glandular, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying white to greenish white, spreading, almost glabrous flowers.
"This species easily can be confused with Microchilus uribei as both have a lip contracted to a short isthmus near the apical quarter or fifth and the hypochile is thickened. M plantagineus has somewhat larger leaves, a loosely flowered inflorescence versus a dense inflorescence in M uribei, larger flower segments sepals .24 to .32" versus .164 to .168" [6 to 8mm vs 4.1 to 4.2 mm] , petals .24 to .28" versus .152" [6 to 7 mm vs 3.8 mm] and longer, much more swollen, longer spur .16 to .2" x .08 to .088 verusus .12 x .32" " [4 to 5 x 2 to 2.2mm vs 3 x .8 mm]." Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017
Synonyms Erythrodes plantaginea (L.) Fawc. & Rendle 1910; Orchis plantaginea [L.] Sw. 1800; Pelexia bursaria Lindley 1840; Physurus eliator Rchb.f 1855; Physurus plantaginea [L.] Lindley 1840; Platythelys latifolia (L.) Garay & Ormerod 2002; Satyrium latifolium L. 1760; *Satyrium plantagineum L 1759
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1244 L. 1759 as Satyrium plantagineum
Fl. Jam.: 20 L. 1760 as Satyrium latifolium nom. superfl.
Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. 21: 207 Sw., 1800 as Orchis plantanginea nom. illeg.
Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 503 Lindley 1840 as Physurus plantaginea
Ann. Nat. Hist. 5: 116 Lindley 1840 as Pelexia bursaria
* Syn. Plant. 5: 166 D Dietr. 1852
Bonplandia 3: 214 Rchb.f 1855 as Physurus eliator;
Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI: 346 Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Physurus plantagineus;
Flora of Jamaica 1: 28 Fawcett & Rendle 1910 as Erythrodes plantaginea
Flora of Jamaica 1: pl 3 # 15 Fawcett & Rendle 1910as Erythrodes plantaginea drawing hmm;
Flore Descriptive des Antilles Francaises H. Stehle 1939 as Erythrodes plantaginea drawing good;
Native Orchids of Trinidad Schultes 1960;
Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969 as Erythrodes plataginea;
Flora of the Lesser Antilles: 84 Garay & Sweet 1974
Flora of the Lesser Antilles: 85 Garay & Sweet 1974drawing ok;
An Orchid Flora Of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Ackerman 1995 drawing fide;
Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000;
Lindleyana 17: 226 Garay & Ormerod 2002 as Platythelys latifolia nom. superfl.
The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 77 #1 2008 as Platythelys latifolis photo fide;
Orchids of French Guiana Szlatchenko, Veyret, Mytnik-Ejsmont, Sawicka, Rutowski and Baranow 2012 drawing ok; Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles Ackerman 2014;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 1: 276 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017 drawing fide;
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