Masdevallia encephala Luer & R. Escobar 1978 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Masdevallia SUBSECTION Masdevallia
Photo by © Jorge Mario Munera
Photo by © Lourens Grobler.
Photo by © Jay Pfahl.
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name The Brain Masdevallia [refers to the sepaline cup shape]
Flower Size 2/5" [1 cm]
Found in the departments of Santander del Sur and Boyaca departments of Colombia on the eastern cordillera at elevations of 2150 to 2600 meters as a cold growing, miniature to small sized epiphyte with a slender, erect, blackish ramicaul enveloped basally by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, petiolate, elliptic-obovate, subacute to obtuse leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect, slender, 2 to 3 1/5" [5 to 8 cm] long inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul with a bract near the base and a tubular floral bract carrying a single flower held at mid-leaf height.
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; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 2 COS 1991 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXII Systematics of Masdevallia Part 3 Luer 2001 drawing fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007 photo fide; Masdevallia in Detail Vol 5 Sijm etal 2010 photo/drawing fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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