Masdevallia amabilis Rchb.f & Warsc. 1854 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Masdevallia SUBSECTION Coccineae Veitch 1889
Photo by Patricia Harding
Photo by Lourens Grobler
THROUGH 
Common Name The Lovely Masdevallia
Flower Size 1 3/8" [3.6 cm]
Found in northern Peru at altitudes of 2000 to 3300 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing terrestrial or lithophytic, cold to warm growing orchid from cool montane forests and on rocky slopes in intense sunlight with a very short, inconspicuous ramicaul encased by 2 to 3 short, tubular membraneous sheaths with erect, coriaceous, oblanceolate, acute, leaves with a deep furrow down the center into the channeled petiole that blooms on an apical, erect, reclining or horizontal, slender, terete, to 12" [30 cm] long, inflorescence with two distant tubular bracts occuring in the summer through winter with solitary flowers held way above the leaves. The most distinguishing factor of this species is the elongate inflorescence with crimson-red to purple, white or orange flowers. Shy bloomers are encouraged to bloom by increasing the light levels to where the leaves just slightly start to yellow.
Synonyms Masdevallia amabilis f. flammula (H.Mohr & Braas) O.Gruss & M.Wolff 2007; Masdevallia amabilis var. lineata Linden & André 1875 Masdevallia flammula H.Mohr & Braas 1984;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing ok; Die Orchideen der Sudamerikanischen Kordillerenstaaten IV Peru Schlechter 1921 as M venusta; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 10 1985 photo fide; Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 287 Bennett & Christenson 1995 drawing ok; Orchid Digest Vol 60 #3 1996 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 69 No 2 2000 photo fide; Madevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXV Systematics of Masdevallia Part Five 2003 drawing ok; Orchid Digest Vol 72 No 4 2008 photo fide; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Las Orquideas del Peru Izerskyy & Bezverhov 2011 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #6 2019 photo fide;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
