Masdevallia meleagris Lindl. 1845 SUBGENUS Meleagris Luer 1986

Photo by © Andreas Philipp

Common Name The Guinea Fowl Spotted Masdevallia

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

Found in Boyaca, Cunidinamarca and Cauca departments of Colombia without elevational locality in cloud forests as a miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical-ovate, subacute to obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect, slender, congested, 5" [12.5 cm] long, successively few flowered inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul with a bract below the middle and imbricating, floral bracts.

Many references state that this name is a synonym of M picturata, but as you can see they are quite different, the error may be in that all those references state M meleagris Rchb.f 1858 and not Lindley 1845. This species is part of a small group characterized, by short, round in cross-section, successively flowered, racmose inflorescence and a flower with a free dorsal sepal, lateral sepals free nearly to the column foot and the lip hinged over the edge of the foot to the undersurface

Synonyms Rodrigoa meleagris [Lindl.] Braas 1979

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1854 drawing; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986 drawing fide; Orquideologia Vol 13 No 1 1978; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 photo fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXV Part 5 Masdevallia Luer 2003 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Rodrigoa meleagris; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------