Microchilus brunnescens Ormerod 2005

TYPE Drawing by © Ormerod and Harvard Pap. Bot. 9(2): 396, Fig 7 Ormerod 2005

LATE

Common Name The Brown Microchilus

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in Napo province of Ecuador in wet riverside forests at elevations around 1625 meters as a small sized, cool growing terrestrial with an erect, terete stem carrying 7, obliquely ovate-elliptic to elliptic, subacuminate, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the late spring on a terminal, erect, pubescent, 22.2" [55.5 cm] long overall, peduncle 11.8" [29.5 cm] long, provided with 6, lax sheathing bracts, rachis 10.36" [25.9 cm] long, sublaxly many flowered inflorescence with ovate-lanceolate, acute, twice as long as the ovary floral bracts and carrying externally pubescent, brown outside, white inside flowers.

"This species appears to be closely related to the Colombian Microchilus caucanus, as it is a leafy plant of similar height with much the same floral dimensions. However, M. brunnescens has broader leaves 1.2 to 1.96" versus 1.08 to 1.4" (3 to 4.8 vs. 2.7 to 3.5 cm), a broadly elliptic (not oblong) dorsal sepal, an obovoid (not oblongoid) spur, and a broader .072 versus .06" (1.8 vs. 1.5 mm) cuneate (not rectangular) hypochile that lacks carinae. Another similar species is Microchilus pseudobrunnescens, but it has much narrower floral bracts and smaller floral dimensions." Ormerod 2005

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 9(2): 399 Ormerod 2005

Harvard Pap. Bot. 9(2): 396, Fig 7 Ormerod 2005 drawing fide;

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