Dracula benedictii (Rchb. f.) Luer 1978 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Parviflorae
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Photos by © Eric Hunt, plant grown by SF Conservatory of Flowers
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
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Common Name Benedict's Dracula [Roezl, Bohemian Orchid Collector and discoverer of species 1800's]
Flower Size 1.6" [4 cm]
Found in Antioquia and Quindio departments of Colombia in cloud forests at elevations of 1700 to 2300 meters as a cool to cold growing epiphyte with slender, erect, ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thinly coriaceous, very narrowly obovate to linear, acute, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate, subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring and summer on a congested, arising from low on the ramicaul, provided with bracts at each joint of the scape, purplish, horizontal to descending, 3" [7.5 cm] long, successively few flowered inflorescence with tubular, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.
"Easily identified by the small, deeply cupped flower, whitish on the outside and full black with tiny warts inside. Occasioannly the background color within the cup is paler or cream colored and studded with tiny brown warts." Luer 1993
Synonyms Dracula benedictii var. hubeinii (Luer) Hermans 1997; Dracula hubeinii Luer 1980; Dracula troglodytes (E. Morren) Luer 1978; *Masdevallia benedicti Rchb. f. 1874; Masdevallia troglodytes E. Morren 1877
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchid. 2: 197 Rchb.f 1874 as Masdevallia benedicti; Xenia Orchid.2: t.186. 1874).vol 2 Rchb.f 1874 as Masdevallia benedicti drawing fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Masdevallia troglodytees; Selbyana 2: 194 Luer 1978;
Phytologia 47: 57 1980 as D huebeinii; Thesaurus Dracularum Vol 2 Luer, Escobar and Dalstroem 1989 watercolor/drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 1 COS 1990 photo ok; The Illustratred Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon, 1992 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV Luer 2002 drawing fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #4 1997 photo fide; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2002 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 24 #1 2005 photo ok; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 26 No 1 2009 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 28 #1 2011 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 29 #1 2012 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; Orquideas del Valle de Aburra Medellin Colombia COS 2014 photo fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 drawing/photo fide;
Dracula benedictii var. hubeinii (Luer) Hermans 1997
Photo by © Eric Hunt
A color variety of the previous species
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids Orchid Digest Vol 61 #4 1997 photo fide; Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 as D hubenii photo not = Masdevalliua hubenii;
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