Aspidogyne is a neotropical genus of terrestrial orchids in the family Orchidaceae (order Asparagales). Depending on taxonomic treatment, it comprises roughly two dozen to over two hundred and sixty species native to tropical and subtropical America; some authorities treat Aspidogyne and the closely related Microchilus as the same genus, reflecting ongoing circumscription debates within the subtribe Goodyerinae.
The genus belongs to the subfamily Orchidoideae and tribe Cranichideae. Like other Goodyerinae, Aspidogyne species are small, shade-dwelling terrestrials that grow on the forest floor in humid lowland and montane rainforests. The column and pollinia characters distinguish Aspidogyne from the Old World genus Erythrodes, from which it was segregated, and dissection of the flowers is generally required to resolve generic boundaries.
The segregation of Aspidogyne as a distinct entity for New World species was formalised by the botanist P. Ormerod in 2002, with a further expansion of 32 species published in 2005. Species recorded in the genus include Aspidogyne argentea, A. stictophylla, A. diaphana, A. miravalleana, and A. robusta.
Etymology
The genus name Aspidogyne derives from Greek: aspis (shield) and gynē (woman or female), likely referring to the shape of the column or stigma. The closely related synonym Microchilus derives from Greek mikros (small) and cheilos (lip), referring to the small labellum characteristic of the flowers.
Distribution
Aspidogyne is distributed across tropical and subtropical America, ranging from Mexico and Central America south through the Andes and into South America, with Brazil being a centre of diversity. Species occur in humid forest understoreys at both lowland and montane elevations.
Taxonomy Notes
Aspidogyne was first described by Carl Borivoj Presl in 1827 (as Microchilus). It was separated from Erythrodes s. str. by P. Ormerod in 2002, based on characters of the column and pollinia visible only by dissecting the flowers. Ormerod added a further 32 species in 2005. Some current checklists (including iNaturalist) treat Aspidogyne as a synonym of Microchilus, while others (including the GBIF backbone) accept both as distinct genera. The horticultural abbreviation for the Microchilus treatment is Mcr.
