Masdevallia maloi Luer 1978 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Coriaceae SUBSECTION Coriaceae Rchb.f 1874
Photo by © Eric Hunt
Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
to 
Common Name Malo's Masdevallia [Ecuadorian discoverer of species]
Flower Size 2" [5 cm]
Found in Ecuador in montane forests at elevations of 1700 to 2900 meters as a medium sized, robust, cool to cold growing epiphyte found with stout, channeled, suberect ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 thin, loose, tubular sheaths carrying a single, apcial, erect, coriaceous, linear-elliptical, acute leaf that is gradually narrowed below into the conduplicate, subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the winter on a suberect, stout, 1 3/5" to 5" [4 to 13 cm] long, green with purple spots, single flowered inflorescence with a tubular bract above the base and a tubular, purple speckled floral bract holding the solitary flower amid the leaves.
The back of the flower and the inflorescence is totally red maculate.
CAUTION Kew cites this one as a synonym of M virgo-cuencae but they seem far removed from each other in form so I leave them separate for now.
Synonyms Byrsella maloi (Luer) Luer 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXI Systematics of Masdevallia Part 2 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 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Byrsella maloi; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orchidaceae Masdevallia and Affiliates Dodson & Luer 2009 as Byrsella maloi drawing ok; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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