Masdevallia agaster Luer 1979 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Masdevallia SUBSECTION Saltatrices [Rchb.f] Luer 1986
Photos by © Milan Vágner
Photo courtesy of Donna Nash
Photo courtesy of Dale and Deni Borders
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
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Common Name The Flat Masdevallia
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found in Peru and Ecuador on mossy trees in wet montane forest with year round rainfall at elevations of 1500 to 2000 meters as a mini-miniature sized, creeping, caespitose, cool growing epiphyte with short, terete, channeled ramicauls enveloped basallly by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths with a single, apical, oblong-lanceolate, acute leaf with a long, channeled, petiolate base, which is as long as the blade, from which blooms, on an basal, erect, slender, 1 1/2 " [4 cm] long, single flowered inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul with a bract near the base and a tubular floral bract holding the fragrant floral to coconut scented flower or amid the leaves and occuring in the fall and winter.
This plant is a cool growing species that likes high humidity, shade and potted in a chopped mixture of tree fern, fir bark, perlite and sphagnum moss.
This species is distinguished by having a long floral tube, recurved sepal tails and a throat covered with prominent non-glandular trichomes.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 286 Bennett & Christenson 1995 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 65 Vol 7 1996; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 photo fide; Madevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXIII Systematics of Masdevallia Part 4 Luer 2002 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 7 2003 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 72 No 4 2008 photo fide; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #3 2011 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016;
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