Masdevallia helgae Königer & J.J. Portilla 1997 SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986

Photo by © Lourens Grobler

Drawing

Drawing by Carl Luer

Common Name Helga's Masdevallia [German Orchid Enthusiast Koniger current]

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Morona-Santiago province of Ecuador at elevations around 1000 meters as a miniature sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, subacute, narrowly cuneate below into the subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on a erect, arising from the base of the ramicaul with a basal bract, triquetrous, 6 to 8" [15 to 20 cm] long, congested, successively several flowered inflorescnece with white, imbricating, as long as to longer than the pedicel floral bracts.

Very similar and sometimes cited as synomonous to M vargasii but differs in the longer acuminate synsepal terminated in a narrowly triangular, acute approximate apices as well as the marginally erose calli below the middle and verrucose towards the apex of the lip.

Synonyms Alaticaulia helgae (Königer & J.Portilla) Luer 2006

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * , Arcula 7: 194 Königer & J.J. Portilla 1997 Drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XIX Systematics of Masdevallia Part 1 Luer 2000 drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia helgae; Orchidaceae Masdevallia and Affiliates Dodson & Luer 2009 as Alaticaulia helgae drawing fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;

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