Masdevallia richardsoniana Luer 1988 SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986
Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt
Photo by Alfonso Doucette Copyright © 2009, and His Flicker website
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name Richardson's Masdevallia [American Orchid Enthusiast current]
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found in Junin department of Peru in moderately cool, wet, montane forests at elevations around 1800 meters as a caespitose, mini-miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths carrying a single, apical, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, subacute leaf that gradually narrows into the petiole below that blooms in the winter on a slender, arising from low on the ramicaul with a basal bract, erect, triquetrous, single to occasionally 2 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.
"Characterized by the small habit and colorful orange and purple flowers borne by a relatively short peduncle. Numerous peduncles produce a single flower simultaneously but occasionally another flower follows. The peduncles are slender and usually triangular in cross-section, especially above near the raceme. Occasionally they are terete. A similar occurence is seen in M infracta. The sepals are fleshy with the acute apices drawn into somewhat thickened, proportionally long tails. The petals are callous on the lower half and the epichile of the lip is not verrucose." Luer 2000
Synonyms Alaticaulia richardsoniana (Luer) Luer 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
A Treasure of Masdevallia Vol 24 Luer & Dalstroem 1999 watercolor/drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XIX Systematics of Masdevallia Part 1 Luer 2000 drawing fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia richardsoniana; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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