What is "microspermae"

Microspermae is a botanical name of an order of flowering plants. It is a descriptive name referring to the size of the seed; it was used for the order containing the orchids.

In taxonomical systems this name has now mostly dropped out of use, being displaced by the name Orchidales (formed from the family name Orchidaceae). The name Microspermae was used in the Bentham & Hooker and the Engler systems. The Wettstein system also used a descriptive name, but preferred Gynandrae.