Microchilus xystophyllus (Rchb.f.) Ormerod 2002
Photo by © Alexander Hirtz
Drawing of Erythrodes xystophyllus by © Dunsterville and Garay
Common Name The ?Leaved Microchilus
Flower Size .12" [3 mm]
Found in Caqueta department of Colombia, Venezuela and northern Brazil in shady, tropical, wet forests at elevations around 1500 to 2000 meters as a medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with an erect, glabrous stem leafy in the upper part, carrying spirally arranged, narrowly linear-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, plain green, gradually narrowing below into the petiolate base leaves that blooms in the winter on an erect, terminal, elongate, pilose, to 5" [12.5 cm] long overall, rachis to 3" [7.5 cm] long, subdensely successively many flowered inflorescence with acuminate, as long as the ovary floral bracts and carrying small flowers with glabrous sepals.
M frontinoensis and M perijanus as well as the new species comprise a group of morphologiacally similar species characterized by the ligulate-oblanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, widely spread epichile lateral lobes and apically obliquely truncate petals. but unlike both other species M xystophyllus has the apical margins of the epichile lateral lobes are irregularily dentate and the hypochile is adorned with 2 low keels running along its apical part. M platysepalus is also similar but it has a spur that is .1 x .06" [2.5 x 1.5 mm] obovoid [subglobose in younger flowers], the hypochile is ovate-elliptic and the epichile lobules are only slightly undulate." Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017
Synonyms Erythrodes xystophylla (Rchb.f.) Ames 1922; *Physurus xystophyllus Rchb.f. 1873
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Xenia Orchid. 2: 183 Rchb.f 1873 as Physurus xystophyllus
Orchidaceae 7: 78 Ames 1922 as Erythrodes xystophylla
Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville and Garay 1959 as Erythrodes xystophylla drawing fide;
Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969 as Erythrodes xystophylla drawing fide;
Icones Plantarum Tropicarum Plate 497 Dodson 1989 Drawing ok
* Lindleyana 17: 223 Ormerod 2002;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 1: 251 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017 drawing fide;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 1: 540 pl 93 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017 photo fide
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