Dracula dalessandroi Luer 1989 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Parviflorae
Photo by © Dale and Deni Borders
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name D'alessandro's Dracula [Ecuadorian Orchid Enthusiast Present]
Flower Size 2x6" [5 x 15 cm]
Found in Zamora-Chinchipe province of Ecuador in wet montane forests at altitudes of 2400 to 2700 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped 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 subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on a slender, suberect to horizontal, arising from low on the ramicaul, provided with 3 to 4 bracts, 3 to 3.8" [7 to 9 cm] long, loose, successively few flowered inflorescence with a tubular, longer than the pedicel floral bract.
"Distinguished by the long, narrow leaves and a whitish, cupped flower shortly pubescent and dotted with purple brown within. The most distinguishing feature is the small lip with a convex epichile studded with tall points and irregular frgaments of lamellae." Luer 1993
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * AOS Bulletin 58:10 pg 1004 Luer 1989 drawing/photo fide; Thesaurus Dracularum Vol 4 Luer, Escobar and Dalstroem 1991 watercolor/drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV Luer 2002 drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 1 Dodson 1993 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #4 1997 photo fide; Draculas Del Ecuador Pupulin, Merino and Medina 2009; Flora of Ecuador No 87 225[3] Orchidaceae Dodson & Luer 2010; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide
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