Masdevallia sprucei Rchb. f. 1878 SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986
Photo courtesy of © Eric Hunt
Photo courtesy of CJ Maciejeski
Photo courtesy of Kathy Gargis Olsen
Drawing by © Carl Luer
to 
LATER
EARLIEER
Common Name Spruce's Masdevallia [English Orchid Collector 1800's]
Flower Size 2/5" [2 cm]
Found in Amazonas state of Venezuela, Peru and Amazonas state of Brazil in low, tropical and wet, montane forests at elevations of 100 to 900 meters as a mini-miniature sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, obtuse leaf and flowers in the late fall through earlier summer on a slender, arising from low on the ramicaul with a bract near the base, 2.8" [7 cm] long, succesively [3 to 4], single flowered, triquetrous inflorescence with a thin, tubular, shorter than the pedicel floral bract holding the flowers just at leaf height.
" Distinguished by the successively few flowered raceme borne by a slender peduncle, considerably more slender than that of the similar M bicolor. The peduncle in the lower portion is triquetrous but towards the apex it becomes terete. Sometimes the peduncle is totally terete or totally triquetrous as seen in M infracta." Luer 2000
Synonyms Alaticaulia sprucei (Rchb.f.) Luer, 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Otia Botanica Hamburgensia Rchb.f 1878; Flora de Venezuela Volumen 15 Parte 3 Foldats 1970; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 5 Dunsterville & Garay 1972 as M peruviana drawing fide; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 drawing fide; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970; Orchids of Venezuela An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as M peruviana drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing fide; 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; Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003 drawing ok; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXV Systematics of Masdevallia Part Five Luer 2003; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia sprucei; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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