Masdevallia stirpis Luer 1989 SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986
Photo by © La Société Française d'Orchidophilie
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name Of the Same Stock Masdevallia [refers to it's relation to M deceptrix, M impostor and M maculata all very similar and all occur in the coastal mountains of Venezuela]
Flower Size 4" [10 cm] long
Found in Aragua state of Venezuela in the northern coastal mountains at elevations of 1500 to 1800 meters as a miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying an erect, coriaceous, elliptic-obovate, obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect, arising from the base of the ramicaul with a basal bract, stout, congested successively single flowered, triquetrous inflorescence with imbricating, tubular, as long as the pedicel floral bracts.
Differs from the similar species, M deceptrix, M impostor, and M maculata by the stout shorter inflorescence the longer orange sepaline tube and expanded dark red purple lateral sepals with long crossed, acuminate tails.
Synonyms Alaticaulia stirpis (Luer) Luerr 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIX Masdevallia Part 1 Luer 2000 Drawing fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia stirpis;
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