Microchilus rioitayanus Ormerod 2005

TYPE Drawing Ormerod andHarvard Pap. Bot. 9: 421 fig 37 Ormerod 2005

LATE EARLY

Common NameThe Rio Itayta Microchilus

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in Loreto department of Peru at elevations around 110 meters as a small to just medium sized, hot growing terrestrial with a terete rhizome giving rise to an erect, terete stem carrying laxly 3 to 7, variegated with pale greenish-white, lanceolate, rarely oblong- lanceolate, acute, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the late winter and early spring on an erect, terminal, pubescent, 5.64 to 6.84" [14.1 to 17.1 cm] long, peduncle to 2.24 to 2.32" [5.6 to 5.8 cm] long, provided with 2 to 3, lowest subfoliaceous, sheathing bracts, rachis 3.3.32 to 4.6" [8.3 to 11.5 cm] long, subdensely many flowered inflorescence with ovate-lanceolate, acute, longer than to as long as the ovary floral bracts and carrying externally pubescent, pinkish flowers.

" M rioitayanus appears to be related to the Colombian M rioesmeraldae but it differs in having leaves with a silver median stripe and in the flowers, which have an epichile with narrower ligulate lobules. In M. rioitayanus, the leaves are variegated greenish-white and the epichile has broader, ovate-oblong lobules." Ormerod 2005

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Harvard Pap. Bot. 9: 420 Ormerod 2005

Harvard Pap. Bot. 9: 421 fig 37 Ormerod 2005 drawing fide;

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