Dracula psittacina [Rchb.f.]Luer 1993 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Parviflorae
Photos by © Milan Vagner.
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Parrot Dracula [probably an allusion for the flower bud]
Flower Size 1.5 x 5" [3.75 x 12.5 cm]
Found in Antioquia and Cundiamarca departments of Colombia on the central and eastern cordilleras in cloud forests at elevations of 2200 to 2400 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, narrowly elliptical-obovate, acute, gradually narrowly cuneate below into the conduplicate base leaf that blooms in the spring and fall on a slender, purple, more or less ascending to horizontal, arising from low on the ramicaul, 4 to 6" [10 to 15 cm] long, loose, successively 1 to 6 flowered inflorescence with a tubular, as long to shorter than the pedicel floral bract.
"Close to Dracula houtteana and Dracula velutina but distinguished by the broad, straight, more or less stiff sepaline tails. The leaves are long and narrow, the successive flowers are on a more or less descending inflorescence. The sepals are densely pubescent within, are basically white and variously marked with purple or brown. The red-purple tails are broad and more or less rigid in comparison to the other 2 species." 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, D anthracina and D orientalis as well as D. vinacea and D. diabola in Boyacá
Synonyms *Masdevallia psittacina Rchb. f 1876
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Thesaurus Dracularum Vol 6 Luer, Escobar and Dalstroem 1993 watercolor/drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum X Systematics of Dracula Luer 1993 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #4 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 # 12 2005 photo fide; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #12 2017 photo fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 drawing/photo fide;
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