Background and Aims:

The forest area of San Ángel Zurumucapio (SAZ), municipality Ziracuaretiro, Michoacán, has been reduced due to agricultural practices, and lacks studies documenting the floristic richness. In the absence of this information and the problems it faces, the present work aims to 1) present a list of Orchidaceae in the area, 2) register the habitat where they grow, 3) indicate the species of phorophyte of the epiphytic species, 4) identify which are endemic to Mexico and which have a risk category and 5) compare the orchid flora with that of other regions.

Methods:

Field trips were made to collect and observe orchids and their hosts. The collection consisted of one specimen and a maximum of one duplicate. All species were photographed; those not collected were recorded solely through photographs. The material was herborized in the traditional manner and specialized literature was used for its identification. The conservation status was assigned according to the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010. The orchid flora of the study area was compared with that of other regions using the Sorensen similarity index.

Key results:

Forty-one species and one hybrid were recorded (26 terrestrial, 15 epiphytic and 1 rupicolous), included in 26 genera. The most diverse genera were Bletia, Habenaria and Oncidium. The most frequent phorophytes were Quercus spp. The Pinus-Quercus forest records the greatest richness. Five species are classified as at risk. The orchid flora of this work has a greater affinity with that present in the ”malpais” of San Andrés Corú.

Conclusions:

SAZ has 42 taxa and represents 15.8% of the state’s orchidological richness. This information contributes to the knowledge of the state´s flora and is expected to be used for the development of conservation strategies and as a basis for future studies such as interactions of orchids with their phorophytes and pollinators.

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