Masdevallia bonplandi Reichb.f 1855 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Coriaceae SUBSECTION Coriaceae Rchb.f 1874

Photo by © Eric Hunt

Plant and Flowers in situ Ecuador

Photo by © Lourens Grobler

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Common Name Bonpland's Masdevallia [French Botanist in South America 1800's]

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in cloud forests on fully exposed grassy hillsides at elevations of 1100 to 3750 meters as a small sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial orchid with stout, erect ramicauls carrying a single, apical, suberect to erect, thickly coriaceous, obovate-linear to semi-terete obutse, sulcate, leaf that is gradually narrowed into the subpetiolate base and blooms in the summer on a stout, suberect to erect, single flowered, 4" [10 cm] long, purple spotted, inflorescence that arises from low on the ramicaul with a bract near the base and a single floral bract. Very similar to M coriacea it differs in having a wider range, a smaller plant with narrower, semi-terete, sulcate leaves, a shorter peduncle and smaller flowers, except the lip and petals are almost the same in size and shape. The sepals are marked with purple either in heavy spots or various degrees of suffusin.

Synonyms Byrsella bonplandii (Rchb.f.) Luer 2006; Masdevallia coriacea subsp. bonplandii (Rchb.f.) Luer 1986; Masdevallia endotrachys Kraenzl. 1925; Masdevallia porcelliceps var. sulphurea Kraenzl. 1925; Masdevallia sulphurea F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. 1921; Masdevallia uniflora H.B.K. 1816

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXI Systematics of Masdevallia Part 2 Luer 2000 drawing fide; A Treasure of Masdevallia Vol 21 Luer & Dalstroem 1996 drawing fide; Madevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 dodson 2002 drawing/photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXVIII Luer 2006 as Byrsella bonplandii; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orchidaceae Masdevallia and Affiliates Dodson & Luer 2009 as Byrsella bonplandii drawing fide; Masdevallia in Detail Vol 5 Sijm etal 2010 photo/drawing fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #10 2016 photo fide;

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