Dracula diabola Luer & R. Escobar 1979 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Parviflorae
Photo by © Patricia Harding
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Devilish Dracula
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Boyaca department of Colombia on the eastern cordillera within cloud forests at elevations of 2200 to 2600 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thinly coriaceous, carinate, very narrowly obovate to linear, acute, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate, indistinct, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring and summer on a stout, horizontal to ascending, arising from low on the ramicaul, provided with a few bracts, purplish, 4 to 5.6" [10 to 14 cm] long, laxly, successively few flowered, racemose inflorescence with a tubular, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts
The flowers appear to be reddish purple-broan to brick red because of the diffuse and numerous clored tubercles on the inner surfaces of the speals. The sepals are deeply connte, but the flowers is only shallowly cupped. Although small, the bright red epichile of the lip, the tongue of the devils face is prominet in the center of the flower. The shallowly concave epichile appears to be convex because the lamellae are raised taller than the margin." Luer 1993
This species is one of only seven Dracula species that occur on the eastern cordillera of Colombia, the other 6 are, D gerhardii, D vlad-tepes and D orientalis as well as D. vinacea and D. diabola in Boyacá and D. psittaccina in Cundinamarca.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orquideologia Vol 13 No 2 1979 photo/drawing/herbarium sheet fide; Orquideologia Vol 16 No 1 1983; Thesaurus Dracularum Vol 3 Luer, Escobar and Dalstroem 1990 watercolor/drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 1 COS 1990 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV Luer 2002 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #4 1997 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 65 No 6 2000 photo; 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; Orchid Digest Vol 81 #2 2017 photo fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 drawing/photo fide;
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