Masdevallia cerastes Luer & R. Escobar 1978 SUBGENUS Cucullatia Luer 2002
Photo by © Andreas Philipp
Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler
Photo courtesy of Patricia Harding
Photo courtesy of Dale and Deni Borders
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name The Horned Snake Masdevallia [refers to the shape of the flower]
Flower Size 2" [5 cm]
Found in the Putumayo department of Colombia on the eastern slopes of the Andes in cloud forests at elevations of 2200 to 2600 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with stout, channeled, erect ramicauls enveloped basally by 1 to 2 shorter sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coricaeous, elliptical, obtuse leaf that is cuneate below into the channeled petiole and blooms in the summer on a very short, erect, single flowered inflorescence arising from high on the ramicaul carrying inflated, oblique, obtuse floral bracts with the flower held below the leaves.
Synonyms Megema cerastes (Luer & R.Escobar) Luer 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Orquideologia Vol 13 No 1 1978 photo/drawing/herbarium sheet fide; Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986; Masdevallia'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 fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Megema cerastes; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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