Microchilus sumacoensis (Ormerod) E.C.Smidt & M.W.Chase 2021

Drawing by © Paul Ormerod and Harvard Pap. Bot. 13: 57 fig 3 Ormerod 2008

Common Name The Mt Sumaco Microchilus

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in Napo province of Ecuador in premontane rain forests on calcareous soils at elevations around 1160 meters as a small to medium sized, cool growing terrestrial orchid with an erect, terete stem carrying 2 to 3, broadly ovate-elliptic, acute, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, 12.28" [30.7 cm] long, peduncle 7.2" [18 cm] long, provided with about 5 sheathing bracts, rachis 5.08" [12.7 cm] long, subdensely to about 40 flowered inflorescence with externally pubescent flowers with light green sepals and white petals, and a clear green spur.

"This species is related to Microchilus pumilus from which it differs in having broader leaves 1.04 to 1.56" versus .46 to 1.04" (2.6 to 3.9 vs. 1.15-2.6 cm), flowers with oblong-oblanceolate (not oblong-lanceolate) lateral sepals, and a labellum with a distinct (not absent) mesochchile." Ormerod 2008

Synonyms Aspidogyne sumacoensis Ormerod 2008; Ligeophila sumacoensis (Ormerod) Szlach. & Kolan. 2017

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Harvard Pap. Bot. 13: 58 Ormerod 2008 as Aspidogyne sumacoensis

Harvard Pap. Bot. 13: 57 fig 3 Ormerod 2008 as Aspidogyne sumacoensis drawing fide

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 1: 389 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017 as Ligeophila sumacoensis drawing fide;

* Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 197: 344 E.C.Smidt & M.W.Chase 2021

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