Same as epichil; the upper or terminal portion of the lip of an orchid flower or similar botanical structure.
From Greek epi- (upon) + cheilos (lip). This is a variant spelling of epichil, used interchangeably in botanical terminology.
When botanists name orchid parts, they get poetic: the epichile is literally the flower's 'upper lip' where it meets the main body. Different orchid species have wildly different epichiles—some spoon-shaped, some fringed, each one a specialized landing pad for specific insects.
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