Myrmechis Blume,
Coll. Orchid. (1858) 76, t. 21
Very small sympodial terrestrial or rarely epiphytic plants. Stem elongated, sometimes creeping at the base. Leaves few, very small, distributed along the stem, or crowded near its apex, sheathing at the base, glabrous, persistent, convolute, plain dark green or (in the southeastern part of the distributional range) with silvery or golden veins, herbaceous. Inflorescence terminal, a few-flowered raceme. Flowers small, resupinate, white. Sepals connate or free. Petals free, about as long as the dorsal sepal. Lip without spur, not mobile, at the base with 2 warts. Column-foot absent. Pollinia 2, sectile, caudicles present, stipe absent, viscidium present. Stigma with two clearly separated lobes, each on a short lateral projection.
Distribution
Japan, tropical East Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea; about 6 species.
Distribution in the Philippines
Luzon (Benguet, Bataan, Laguna), Mindoro, Palawan, Mindanao (Misamis, Bukidnon, Davao); 3 species.
Habitat
Terrestrial in montane forest, rarely epiphytic on mossy tree trunks.
Notes
A genus of very delicate white-flowered forest herbs which differs from Zeuxine and Cheirostylis in the structure of the stigma, of which the lobes are situated on short lateral processes. Cheirostylis moreover often has a markedly swollen rhizome, as well as two appendages at the apex of the column. Myrmechis is probably not in cultivation.