6 
Card. Bull. Singapore 69(1) 2017 
Fig. 1. Conspicuous bracts in Malaysian Microchirita. A, B. Microchirita rupestris (Ridl.) 
A.Weber & Rafidah. C. Microchirita involucrata (Craib) Yin Z.Wang. (Photos: A.R. Rafidah) 
In Peninsular Malaysia, flower colour is of great importance in separating the species 
even though this character is lost on dried specimens. Flower colour is constant, only 
a few have occasional white flowers in purple populations. Photographs of the flowers 
are therefore crucial. 
Microchirita species have two stamens and the filaments are usually curved 
and geniculate with the exception of M. involucrata and M. ruthiae that have straight 
filaments. The anthers are generally fused apically or joined. However, the anthers of 
Microchirita ruthiae are free and not joined together. 
Two types of hairs, glandular or eglandular, are found on the ovary and style in 
Microchirita species. Microchirita caliginosa and M. ruthiae have both types of hairs, 
while the others consistently only have eglandular hairs. In fresh flowers, stigma colour 
varies from white, whitish green, pale purple to deep purple, independently of the 
colour of the style or the corolla. The stigmas are shallowly bilobed or deeply bilobed 
and covered with papillate trichomes. Unequal stigma lobes are seen in Microchirita 
involucrata. 
The seed shape in Microchirita species ranges from narrowly ellipsoid 
through ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid or broadly ovoid (Table 2). Species with a seed 
length:width ratio of 3:1 (seen clearly in Microchirita viola ) are described as narrowly 
ellipsoid, which distinguishes it from the other species. Those with a ratio 2:1, such as 
