Microchilus cuscoensis Kolan. & Szlach. 2015

TYPE Drawing by © N. Oledrzynska and Polish Bot. J. 60: 33 Kolan. & Szlach. 2015

LATE

Common Name The Cusco Microchilus [refers to the location of the type]

Flower Size .16" [4 mm]

Found in Cusco department of Peru on the eastern slopes of the Andes in humid montane forest , at elevations around 1450 meters as a medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with a terete, erect stem carrying 6, narrowly elliptic, acuminate, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the winter on a terminal, erect, shortly pubescent, rachis 3.6" " [9 cm] long, laxly many flowered inflorescence with broadly lanceolate, subacute, pubescent along the margins, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying white flowers with the sepals cilate along the margins.

"The species is similar to the Ecuadorian Microchilus laegaardii , distinguished by the leaf petiole and sheath about half as long as the blade (vs blade 3 times longer than petiole and sheaths), ciliate floral bracts, the lip much longer than the tepals (vs lip shorter than tepals) and the ligulate lobes of the wide epichile (vs lobes oblong, epichile .14" [3.5 mm] wide in M. laegaardii). Moreover, the spur of the new species is longer than the tepals, while in M. laegaardii it is distinctly shorter than the sepals and petals (spur .12" [3 mm] long in M. laegaardii). This character also distinguishes the new species from M. arietinus . From this orchid M. cuscoensis also differs by the narrow lobules of the lip epichile (ovate in M. arietinus). From the Peruvian representative of M. arietinus-complex, M. rioitayanus , the new species can be distinguished based on lip hypochile shape (subpandurate in M. rioitayanus) and narrow epichile lobules (ligulate vs ovate-elliptic)." Kolan. & Szlach. 2015

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Polish Bot. J. 60: 33 Kolan. & Szlach. 2015 drawing fide

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