Masdevallia obscurans (Luer) Luer 1998 SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986
Photos courtesy of © Dalton Holland Baptista and Orchidstudium
Photo courtesy of Sidney Marçal
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name or Meaning The Dark Madevallia
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Pernambuco & Bahia states of northeastern Brazil as a miniature sized, epiphyte with stout, erect, ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, subacute, narrowly cuneate into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on a slender, arisies from low on the ramicaul, erect, sharply triquetrous, congested, successively single, many flowered, racemose inflorescence that expands with each flower from 1.4" [3 cm] to 5" [12.5 cm] with imbricating, fugacious, thin, much shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.
"Very closely allied to M infracta but differs in the successively flowered raceme that elongates and becomes arcuate. The flowers do not spread widely, the tail of the dorsal sepal points forward and the lateral sepals are more deeply connate. The lateral sepals are deep purple black with a fine cellular pubescence. The petals and lip are basically the same as M infracta." Luer 2000
Synonyms Alaticaulia obscurans (Luer) Luer 2006; *Masdevallia infracta subsp. obscurans Luer 1988
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lindleyana 3:37, 1988 as M infracta subsp. obscurans drawing fide; * Icones Pleurothallidinarum XVII Systematics of subgen. Pleurothallis sect. Abortivae sect. Truncatae sect. Pleurothallis subsect. Acroniae subsect. Pleurothallis subgen. Dracontia subgen. Unciferia Addenda to Dracula, Lepanthes, Masdevallia, Porroglossum, and Scaphosepalum Luer 1998 Drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIX masdevallia Part 1 Luer 2000 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia aenigma; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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