Masdevallia excelsior Luer & Andreetta 1981 SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986
Photo by © Eric Hunt
Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt, plant grown by San Fransisco Conservatory of Flowers.
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name The Outstanding Masdevallia
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found in Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe provinces of Ecuador in cloud forest at elevations of 1500 to 2300 meters as a small sized, caespitose, cool to cold growing epiphyte and occasional terrestrial with stout erect ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths carrying a single, apical, oblanceolate leaf tapering to a long petiolate base that blooms in the spring on a slender, with a basal bract, erect, 10" [25 cm] long, successively few, triquetrous, single flowered inflorescence and a tubular, shorter than the pedicel floral bract carrying the distant flowers, each occuring well above the previous and all held above leaf height.
"Charaterized by a broad, petiolate leaf and an exceeding long peduncle. The raceme of a few distant flowers is reminiscent of M aenigma, but the raceme of the later is shorter and more congested, often with 2 simultanoeus flowers borne by a shorter peduncle. The sepaline tube of the later is also much shorter. The similar yellow dorsal sepal and purple synsepal of M excelsior are connate into a very short cup beyond which the synsepal expands. All three tails are long and slender. The petals are oblong with a callous swelling at the base of the lamella along the margin. The lip is subpandurate with broadly obtuse, marginal folds and the tip of the epichile is acuminate-apiculate." Luer 2000
Synonyms Alaticaulia excelsior (Luer & Andreetta) Luer 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 288 Bennett & Christenson 1995; 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; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXV Systematics of Masdevallia Part Five Luer 2003; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia excelsior; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 1 2017 photo fide;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
