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Microcoelia exilis
Microcoelia exilis, commonly known as the pinhead orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is a leafless epiphyte, a perennial herb that grows in a tangled cluster of roots and stems on the branch of a tree. This orchid is native to tropical central and eastern Africa and was first described in 1830 by the English botanist John Lindley.
Microcoelia exilis is native to tropical central and eastern Africa. Its range includes Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. It grows on the small branches and twigs of trees (or occasionally on rocks) in gallery forests, woodland, secondary forests and plantations, at elevations of up to about 1,800 m (6,000 ft).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Microcoelia exilis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
