Dracula citrina Luer & R.Escobar 1982 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Parviflorae
Photos by © Eric Hunt
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Lemon-Yellow Dracula
Flower Size 1" x 5" [2.5 x 12.5 cm]
Found in Antioquia department of Colombia on the western cordillera in cloud forests at elevations around 2000 to 2500 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thinly coriaceous, carinate, narrowly obovate, acute, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring and fall on a horizontal to ascending, arising from low on the ramicaul, 3 to 3 3/4" [7 to 8 cm] long, successively few, single flowered inflorescence with a tubular, shorter than the pedicel floral bract.
"Distinguished by the lemon yellow color of the pubescent sepals with slender tails. Although not deeply connate, the sepals do not spread widely, all three tails more or less pointing forward. The epichile of the minute, oblong lip is smaller that the thick hypochile. The warty sides of the distinctive epichile create a narrow cavity which is nearly filled by a single, tall, thick carina." Luer 1993
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Selbyana 7: 64 Luer 1982; Thesaurus Dracularum Vol 3 Luer, Escobar and Dalstroem 1990 watercolor/drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV Luer 2002 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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