Microchilus

Microchilus is a neotropical genus of about 261 species belonging to the orchid family (Orchidaceae). The native range of this genus is tropical & subtropical America. It was first described by Carl Borivoj Presl in 1827, but the genus was not widely recognized until it was separated in 2002 by P. Ormerod from the genus Erythrodes s. str.. It corresponds to its New World species. The two genera were distinguished by the different characters of the column and pollinia. It need dissecting the flowers, to see the differences at generic level with Erythrodes.

In 2005, another 32 new species were added to this genus by Ormerod.

The horticultural abbreviation for this genus is Mcr.

Selected species

 * Microchilus anchoriferus - (Western South America)
 * Microchilus arietinus - (tropical America to Argentina)
 * Microchilus austrobrasiliensis - (Brazil)
 * Microchilus bimentatus - (Costa Rica)
 * Microchilus brachyplectron - (Brazil)
 * Microchilus brunnescens - (Ecuador)
 * Microchilus buchtienii - (Bolivia)
 * Microchilus callophylloides - (Ecuador)
 * Microchilus calophyllus - (Costa Rica)
 * Microchilus campanulatus - (Venezuela)
 * Microchilus capitatus - (Peru)
 * Microchilus caucanus - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus constrictus (Amazonas)
 * Microchilus curviflorus - (Venezuela)
 * Microchilus densiflorus - (Brazil)
 * Microchilus dolichostachys - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus ecuadorensis - (Ecuador)
 * Microchilus ensicalcar - (Peru)
 * Microchilus epiphyticus - (Costa Rica, Panama)
 * Microchilus erythrodoides - (Colombia, Venezuela)
 * Microchilus fendleri - (Venezuela)
 * Microchilus fosbergii - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus glacensis - (Haiti)
 * Microchilus glanduliferus - (Venezuela)
 * Microchilus globosus - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus haughtii - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus herzogii - (Bolivia)
 * Microchilus hirtellus - (West Indies - threatened or endangered species; northern South America)
 * Microchilus hughjonesii - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus integrus - (Ecuador)
 * Microchilus kuduyariensis - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus lamprophyllus - (Brazil)
 * Microchilus laticalcar - (Dominican rep.)
 * Microchilus lechleri - (Peru)
 * Microchilus luniferus - (Mexico to Central America)
 * Microchilus madrinanii - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus major - (north & west South America)
 * Microchilus mexicanus - (Mexico)
 * Microchilus micayvallis - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus microcaprinus - (Peru)
 * Microchilus minor (Peru)
 * Microchilus moritzii - (Venezuela)
 * Microchilus nigrescens - (Costa Rica to Ecuador)
 * Microchilus ortgiesii - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus ovatus - (Colombia, Venezuela)
 * Microchilus paleaceus - (Caribbean, W. South America to N. Brazil)
 * Microchilus panamanicus - (Panama)
 * Microchilus pauciflorus - (Brazil)
 * Microchilus pedrojuanensis - (Paraguay)
 * Microchilus peytonorum - (Peru)
 * Microchilus plantagineus - (Caribbean - threatened or endangered species; Venezuela)
 * Microchilus platanilloensis - (Costa Rica)
 * Microchilus platysepalus - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus plowmanii - (Peru)
 * Microchilus preslii - (Peru)
 * Microchilus pseudobrunnescens - (Ecuador)
 * Microchilus pseudominor - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus putumayoensis - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus quadratus - (Colombia, Ecuador)
 * Microchilus rioesmeraldae - (Colombia)
 * Microchilus rioitayanus - (Peru)
 * Microchilus riopalenquensis - (Ecuador, Peru)
 * Microchilus rojasii - (Paraguay)
 * Microchilus schultesianus - (Trinidad)
 * Microchilus scrotiformis - (Colombia, Venezuela)
 * Microchilus sparreorum - (Ecuador)
 * Microchilus sprucei - (Ecuador)
 * Microchilus tridax - (Central America)
 * Microchilus trifasciatus - (Peru)
 * Microchilus valverdei - (Costa Rica)
 * Microchilus venezuelanus - (Venezuela)
 * Microchilus vesicifer - (Mexico to Peru)
 * Microchilus weberianus - (Ecuador, Galapagos)
 * Microchilus xystophyllus - (Venezuela, Brazil)
 * Microchilus zeuxinoides - (Colombia)

Other sources

 * Ormerod, P. 2002. Taxonomic changes in Goodyerinae (Orchidaceae: Orchidoideae). Lindleyana 17: 189-238
 * Ormerod, P. 2005. Studies of Neotropical Goodyerinae (Orchidaceae). Harvard Pap. Bot. 9: 391–423