Dracula mendozae Luer & V.N.M.Rao 2004 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Grandiflorae-Parvilabiate Luer 1993
Photo by © Claire Rojohn and J & L Orchids Website
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name Mendoza's Dracula [Panamanian co-colletor of species late 1900's]
Flower Size 2" [5 cm] wide
Found in Zamora-Chinchipe province of Ecuador without locality as a small sized epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3, loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thinly coriaceous, carinate, narrowly linear, acute, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate base leaf that blooms in the winter on a more or less horizontal to descending, arising from low on the ramicaul, provided with a few bracts, to 4 to 12" [10 to 30 cm] long, congested, successively few flowered inflorescence with a tubular, shorter than the pedicel floral bract.
"Similar to Dracula pholeodytes but differs in the papular pubescent interior of the sepals and diffusely dotted with dark brown instead of being nearly solid purple black. The lip is twice as large with three primary carinae and 4 to 5 radiating cainae from the margin." Luer2004
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVI Pleurothallis subgenus Acianthera and Three Allied subgenera, A Second Century of new Species of Stelis of Ecuador, Epibator, Ophidion and Zootrophion Luer 2004 drawing 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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