!Dracula chimaera (Rchb. f.) Luer 1978 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Dracula TYPE for the GENUS, SUBGENUS, SECTION, SUBSECTION and SERIES
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Photos by © Manfred Schmucker plants grown by Akerne Orchids in Belgium
Photo by © Danny Lentz, plant grown by Atlanta Botanical Garden
Photo by Milan Vágner
Drawing by © Carl Luer
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Common Name The Chimaera Dracula [Mythical Monster]
Flower Size to 9" [to 22.5 cm]
Found in Colombia and Ecuador in cloud forests at elevations of 1400 to 2450 meters as a medium sized, cool to cold growing, terrestrial, lithophytic or epiphytic species with clustered stems subtended by 2 to 3 loose sheaths carrying a single, apical, erect, narrowly oblanceolate leaf that blooms in the late autumn through winter on a pendant, arising from low on the ramicaul, 6 to 24" [15 to 60 cm] long, successively single, to 6 flowered inflorescence with tubular, shorter than the pedicel bracts.
"Similar to Dracula wallisii but separated by the narrower sepals with the apices more acute than obtuse. D wallisii has broader sepals with more obtuse apices. But D chimera can only truley be separated by the lip shape and the connection of the lip to the column foot. D chimera has an oblong-ovoid lip with the scaphoid apex deeply inflated and considerably more involute than the sides, the base of the lip is inflexibly attached to the column foot so that it is immobile." Luer 1993
Requires shade and even well watered and fertilized conditions year round. This plant should be grown in a wood slat or wire basket as the inflorescence poke down and out the sides of the plant and may be hindered by the inside wall of a pot.
Synonyms Dracula senilis (Rchb.f.) Luer 1978 ; Masdevallia backhousiana Rchb.f 1879; *Masdevallia chimaera Rchb.f 1872; Masdevallia chimaera var. backhousiana (Rchb.f.) A.H.Kent 1889;Masdevallia chimaera var. senilis (Rchb.f.) A.H.Kent 1889; Masdevallia chimaera var. stupenda (Rchb.f.) Stein 1892; Masdevallia senilis Rchb.f. 1885; Masdevallia wallisii Rchb.f var. stupenda Rchb.f 1875
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1874 as Masdevallia chimaera draing fide; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as Masdevallia chimaera; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as Masdevallia chimaera drawing # 25 not - #29 fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 31 No 4 1962 as Masdevallia chimaera photo fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Masdevallia chimera; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 7 385 - 448 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1975 as Masdevallia chimera; * Selbyana 2: 198 Luer 1978; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 7 1979 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 #9 1984 photo fide; Thesaurus Dracularum Vol 3 Luer, Escobar and Dalstroem 1990 watercolor/drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 1 COS 1990 photo fide; The Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb & Laurent 1992; The Illustratred Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon, 1992 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum X Systematics of Dracula Luer 1993 drawing fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #4 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 10 1998 photo ok; Australian Orchid Review Vol 65 No 6 2000 photo; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 42 - 43 pg 2626 - 2762 Brieger 2001; Orchid Digest Vol 66 #1 2002 drawing fide; Genera Orchidacearum Vol 4 Epidendroedeae Part 1 Pridgeon, Cribb, Chase & Rasmussen 2005 drawing fide; Flora's Orchids Nash & La Croix 2005 photo fide; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007; Orchid Digest Vol 72 No 4 2008 photo fide; Draculas Del Ecuador Pupulin, Merino and Medina 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #11 2012 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 83 #4 2014 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; Orchid Digest Vol 81 #2 2017 photo fide;
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