Masdevallia bennettii Luer 1991 SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986
Photo by © Luc Pegram Cape Town South Africa
Photo by Erica Moron de Abad © and Her Biorquidtropic Peru Lab Web Page
Photos by Alfonso Doucette Copyright © 2009, and His Flicker website
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name Bennett's Masdevallia [Peruvian Orchid Enthusiast and Discoverer of species Current]
Flower Size 1 1/4" [3 cm]
Found in Pasaco department of central Peru at elevations around 780 meters as a warm growing, mini-miniature sized epiphyte with slender, erect, ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apcial, erect, thinly coriaceous, elliptical, subacute to obtuse, gradually narrowing below into an elongate, cuneate, channelled, petiolate leaf that blooms in the winter on an erect, arising from the base of the ramicaul and subtended by a thin bract, congested, successively flowered, racemose, slender, triquetrous inflorescence with tubular, imbricating, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.
"Distinguished by the small habit, thinly coriaceous, petiolate leaves and a slener, triquetrous peduncle. The strang flower is large for the plant. The dorsal sepal, desacribed as golden yellow, forms a short, sepaline tube with the lateral sepals. Beyond the tube the sepals are connate into a broadly expanded, ovate, purple-dotted synsepal that is covered with long, weak hairs that give the lamina a shaggy appearance unique in the genus. The acuminate apex ends in slender tails held together as one. The callus of the petals produces an erect, acute process above the margin near the base. The apex of the epichile is obtuse and verrucose." Luer 2000
Synonyms Alaticaulia bennettii (Luer) Luer 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 084 Bennett & Christenson 1993 drawing ok; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XIX Systematics of Masdevallia Part 1 Luer 2000 drawing fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXIII Systematics of Masdevellia Part 4 Luer 2002 index; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia bennettii; A Treasure of Masdevallia Vol 27 Luer & Dalstroem 2004 watercolor fide; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
