Microchilus scrotiformis (C.Schweinf.) Ormerod 2002

Drawing by © Dunsterville & Garay and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Partial shade Cold Winter LATESpring Fall

Common Name The Scrotum Shaped Microchilus

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Cundinamarca, Norte de Santander and Santander department of Colombia and Venezuela in cloud forest clearings at elevations around 2000 to 2900 meters as a small to medium sized [in flower], cold growing terrestrial with a decumbent, becoming erect, slender to stout, glabrous to subglabrous stem carrying velvety green sheen above, ovate to narrowly ovate, acute leaves with a short pink tubular sheathing base that blooms in the winter, late spring and fall on an erect, terminal, lightly sinuous, slender, racemose, peduncle terete, pubescent, to 5.2" [to 13 cm] long overall, successively several, many flowered inflorescence with pubescent, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, glandular, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying white flowers.

"A similar group of orchids which include Microchilus globosus, Microchilus microcalcar, Microchilus carinatus and M tequendamae form a group characterized by having semi-lunate or crescentiform epiichile. M scrotiformis has the longest spur of the group reaching .12" [3 mm] versus up to .072". M scrotiformis differs from M carinatus by the oblong-suspathulate epichile lobules in M carinatus, the lateral sepal shape, obliquely oblong-lanceolate in M carinatus and the length of the lobules of the epichile .08" [2 mm] versus .1 to .12" [2.5 to 3 mm] in M carinatus." Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017

Synonyms *Erythrodes scrotiformis C.Schweinf. 1946

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Revista Acad. Colomb. Ci. Exact. 6: 575 C.Schweinf. 1946 as Erythrodes scrotiformis

Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969 as Erythrodes scrotiformis drawing not see Harvard Pap. Bot. 9: 392 Ormerod2005 as Aspidogyne vesiculosa;

Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 5 Dunsterville & Garay 1972 as Erythrodes scrotiformis drawing fide

* Lindleyana 17: 221 Ormerod 2002

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 1: 264 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017 drawing fide;

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