Microchilus tessellatus Ormerod 2007

TYPE Drawing by Paul Ormerod and Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 171 fig 32 Ormerod 2005

EARLY

Common Name The Tesselate Microchilus [refers to the checkered leaf pattern]

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in Limon province of Costa Rica and Cocle province of Panama in low swampy areas at elevations of 180 to 480 meters as a small sized, hot growing terrestrial with an erect to partey decumbent, terete, pinkish stem carrying 10 to 12 , obliquely ovate to ovate-oblong, acute, checkered light and dark green above, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the late summer and early fall on an erect, terminal, pubescent, tinged pale salmon pink, 10.6 to 14.2" " [26.5 to 35.5 mm] long, peduncle 5.6 to 7" [14 to 17.5 cm] long, provided with 3 to 4, scattered sheathing bracts, rachis 5 to 7.21" [12.5 to 18 cm] long, laxly to sublaxly to 40 flowered inflorescence with ovate-lanceolate, acute, tinged pale salmon pink, slightly longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying externally pubescent, white flowers. P>"This species is related to Microchilus tridax but differs from it in having a 10 to 12 leaved stem and tessellated leaves. In M. tridax the stems are 3 to 6 leaved and the leaves are concolorous (often purplish). Microchilus xeranthum from Colombia is also a 12 leaved species but its leaves are concolorous and the flowers have a cuneate (not ovate) labellum hypochile and .08" [2 mm] (not .112" [2.8 mm]) wide epichile. " Ormerod 2007

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 172 Ormerod 2007

Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 171 fig 32 Ormerod 2005 drawing fide;

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 1: 310 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017 drawing fide;

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