Masdevallia racemosa Lindl. 1845 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Racemosae Woolward 1896

Plant and flower ensitu as terrestro-lithophyte ion Vulcan de Purace Colombia 6/07, 11,000 feet

Plant in situ as terrestro-lithophyte on Vulcan de Purace Colombia 6/07, 11,000 feet

Another Plant in situ Purace Colombia 6/07 with flower and seed pod

Another Plant as epiphyte ensitu, Vulcan de Purace Colombia

Photos by Jay Pfahl. ©

Another Angle

Photo courtesy of Patricia Harding.

Common Name The Racemose Masdevallia [refers to the inflorescence]

Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]

Found only in southern Colombia in very wet, subparamo to paramo on steep embankments and roadcuts, on rocks and in dirt or moss at elevations around 2800 to 3900 meters as a cold growing, mini-miniature sized terrestrial with stout, ascending to erect, ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, coriaceous, subpetillate, narrowly elliptic, subacute leaf with the base narrowly cuneate into the indistinct petiole which blooms on a loose, successively few to several flowered, 4 to 6" [10 to 15 cm] long, slender, erct, purple, racemose inflorescence arising from near the middle of the ramicaul with an infundibulbar floral bract.

Synonyms Masdevallia racemosa var. crossii Lindl. 1845; Spectaculum racemosum (Lindl.) Luer 2006

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 7 385 - 448 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1975; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 2, COS 1991 photo fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992 photo fide; A Treasure of Masdevallia Vol 23 Luer & Dalstroem 1998 watercolor/drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986 drawing fide; ; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXV Systematics of Masdevallia Part Five Luer 2003 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Spectaculum racemosum ; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 27 #1 2010 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;

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