Masdevallia staaliana Luer & Hirtz 1994 SUBGENUS Amanda Luer 1986
Photo by Alfonso Doucette Copyright © 2009, and His Flicker website
Photos courtesy of Eric Hunt, grown by Gerardus Staal, for whom the species is named
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
and 
Common Name Staal's Masdevallia [German American Orchid Enthusiast Current]
Flower Size 2/5" [1 cm]
Found in Ecuador at elevations of 2200 to 2700 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 thin tubular sheaths carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, petiolate, elliptical, subacute to obtuse leaf that is basally cuneate into the petiole and flowers in the summer and winter on an erect to suberect, loosely few flowered, 3 1/5" to 5 1/5" [8 to 13 cm] long, racemose inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul with 1 to 2 bracts below the middle and inflated floral bracts carrying 3 to 5 simultaneously opening, pubescent flowers.
This species has some of the shortest and widest leaves of the genus.
Synonyms Spilotantha staaliana (Luer & Hirtz) Luer 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; A Treasure of Masdevallia Vol 23 Luer & Dalstroem 1998 watercolor/drawing fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXV Systematics of Masdevallia Part Five Luer 2003 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Spilotantha staaliana; Orchidaceae Masdevallia and Affiliates Dodson & Luer 2009 as Spilotantha staaliana drawing fide; Masdevallia in Detail Vol 5 Sijm etal 2010 photo/drawing fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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