Masdevallia descendens Luer & Andreetta 1988 publ. 1989. SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986

Photo by Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website

TYPE Drawing

TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer

Deep ShadeCoolSpring

Common Name or Meaning The Descending Masdevallia [refers to the inflorescence]

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Morona-Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe provinces of southeastern Ecuador at elevations around 1300 to 1500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, subacute, narrowly cuneate into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect, arising from low on the ramicaul with a basal bract, triquetrous, horizontal to pendent, congested, 2" [5 cm] successively single, racemose inflorescence and imbricating, as long as to longer tha the pedicel floral bracts.

"Most distinctive is the short, horizontal peduncle that bears the rigidly fleshy flower half buried in the surrounding mossy substrate. The lateraal sepals are deeply connate into a synsepal that expands beyond the tube and terminates in short, thick, acuminate tails. The flower is similar to M vargasii or M kuhniorum. The petals are oblong and callous on the labellar half. he lip is similarly large with broad folds above the middle. A similar species with a descending or horizontal peduncle is M lintricula but ithas a cymbiform synsepal with much shorter tails." Luer 2000

Synonyms Alaticaulia descendens (Luer & Andreetta) Luer 2006

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIX Masdevallia Part 1 Luer 2000 drawing fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia descendens; Orchidaceae Masdevallia and Affiliates Dodson & Luer 2009 as Alaticaulia descendens drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #7 2010 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;

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