Dracula spectrum (Rchb.f.) A.Doucette 2012 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Grandiflorae-Parvilabiate Luer 1993
Photos by © Andreas Phillip
Plant and Flower Photo by © Milan Vágner
Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Wide Dracula
Flower Size 4" [10 cm]
Found in Colombia in cloud forests at elevations of 1500 to 2000 meters as a small sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thinly coriaceous, carinate, elliptical, acute, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate, indistinct, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer, fall and winter on a horizontal to descending, arising from low on the ramicaul, provided with a few distant bracts, loose, 7" [17 cm] long, successively few flowered inflorescence with a tubular, half as long as the epdicel floral bract.
"The flowers are easily recognized by the 3 rather similar, more or less narrowly oblong, widely spread, shallowly connate sepals. The small, rounded epichile of the rose colored lip is acutely deflexed upon the hypochile. Instead of being concave, the epichile is convex with the veins raised above the surface." Luer 1993
Synonyms Dracula lowii (Rolfe) Luer 1978; Dracula platycrater (Rchb. f.) Luer 1978; Masdevallia lowii Rolfe 1890; *Masdevallia platycrater Rchb. f. 1886; *Masdevallia spectrum Rchb.f. 1875
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora 69: 559 Rchb.f 1886 as Masdevallia platycrater; AOS Bulletin Vol 26 No 10 1957 as Masdevallia lowii drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 9 1984 as D platycrater photo fide; Thesaurus Dracularum Vol 2 Luer, Escobar and Dalstroem 1989 as D platycrater watercolor/drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 1 COS 1990 as D platycrater photo fide; The Illustratred Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon, 1992 as D platycrater photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum X Systematics of Dracula Luer 1993 as D platycrater drawing fide; AOS Bulletin VOl 63 # 8 1994 photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 5 COS 1994 as D platycrater photo fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995 as D platycrater drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #4 1997 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 65 No 6 2000 as D platycrater photo; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007 as D platycrater; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 as D platycrater photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 as D platycrater drawing/photo fide;
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