Microchilus valverdei Ormerod 2005

TYPE Drawing by Paul Ormerod and Harvard Pap. Bot. 9: 421 fig 39 Ormerod 2005

Common Name Valverde's Microchilus [Costa Rican Collector of the type]

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in San Jose province of Costa Rica at elevations around 500 to 600 meters as a small to medium sized [in flower], warm growing terrestrial with a terete stem carrying laxly 6, green with darker green varigation, obliquely elliptic tio oblong elliptic, subacuminate, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the winter on an erect, terminal, pubescent, 14.12" [35.3 cm] long, peduncle 6.92" [17.3 cm] long, provided with 4, scattered, thin, transluscent, ovate-lanceolate, acute sheathing bracts, rachis 7.2" [18 cm] long, subdensely many flowered inflorescence with ovate-lanceolate, acute, thin, transluscent, as long as to longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying externally pubescent flowers with white tepals and a greenish lip.

"This species appears to be related to its Costa Rican congener M calophyllus , but it differs from that entity in having a more slender habit; obscurely variegated leaves; thin, translucent floral bracts; and in the labellum having 2 thin lamellate keels on the hypochile. Microchilus calo- phyllus has a stouter habit than M. valverdei, with strongly variegated leaves; thicker, opaque floral bracts; and a labellum hypochile that lacks keels." Ormerod 2005

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 9: 422 Ormerod 2005

Harvard Pap. Bot. 9: 421 fig 39 Ormerod 2005 drawing fide;

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