Masdevallia lankesteriana Luer 1995 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Reichenbachianae Woolw. 1896
Photos by © Luer, Used under permission of Epidendra Website CR
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name Lankester's Masdevallia [American in Costa Rica 1900's]
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Costa Rica without collection data as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 tubular, loose sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly obovate, subacute to obtuse, gradually narrowing below into the elongate, channeled, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on a slender, congested, erect, 3.6 to 4.4" [9 to 11 cm] long, successively single, few flowered inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul with a bract near the base and a tubular floral bract
Can be confused with M striatella for which it superficially resembles but differs in the larger plant, much longer terete peduncles, the longer sepaline tails and the petals are obtusely callous on the labellar margin as well as the oblong lip has a recurved apex and has a pair of low longitudinal calli.
Synonyms Reichantha lankesteriana (Luer) Luer 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; . Orchids of Guatemala Ames & Correll 1952; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXI Masdevallia Part 2 Luer 2000 Drawing fide; Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Reichantha lankesteriana ; Vanishing Beauty, Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 2 Lacaena to Pteroglossa Pupulin 2020 photo fide
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