Dracula ophioceps Luer & R.Escobar 1978 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Costatae

Photo by © Eric Hunt

Side View of Flower

Photo by © The Ecuagenera Website

TYPE Drawing

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer

Common Name The The Snake-Headed Dracula [refers to the callus shape with two teeth]

Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]

Found in Cauca department of Colombia on the central cordillera in cloud forests at elevations around 1600 meters as a small sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 close, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thinly coriaceous, carinate, elliptical, acute, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate, indistinct, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring and fall on a descending, slender, purple, arising from low on the ramicaul, many bracted, 6 to 7.2" [15 to 18 cm] long, single flowered inflorescence with a tubular, as long as to slightly longer than the pedicel floral bract.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Orquideologia Vol 13 No 1 1978 photo/drawing/herarium sheet fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum X Systematics of Dracula Luer 1993 drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 5 COS 1994 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #4 1997 photo fide; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 drawing/photo fide;

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