Masdevallia ayabacana Luer. 1978 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Durae [Luer] Luer 2000
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Photo by David Morris and Clackmas Orchids
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
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Common Name The Ayabaca Masdevallia [Peruvian Town]
Flower Size 1.2" wide [3 cm]
Found in Peru in cool montane rain forest at elevations around 1200 to 1800 meters as a caespitose, miniature to just small sized, cool growing epiphyte with 2 to 2 1/2" long ramicauls which are enveloped by graduating, scarious, inflated, tubular sheaths with oblanceolate, acute, shortly apiculate, variable in size, thickly coriaceous, articulated to the ramicaul, dark green leaf with a deeply tapered and channeled petiole that blooms in the spring through fall on a 8 to 14" [20 to 35 cm]long, erect, 2 to 3 successive flowered inflorescence that is held way above the leaves and has 5 tubular, scarious, remote bracts.
The features unique to this species are the large flower, intense red-orange coloration, the truncate verrucose petals and a labellum with 2 longitudinal ridges that terminate into rugulose pads.
Synonyms Regalia ayabacana (Luer) Luer 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 289 Bennett & Christenson 1995 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 60 #3 1996 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXI Systematics of Masdevallia Part 2 Luer 2000 drawing fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXVIII Luer 2006 as Regalia ayabacana; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 #11 2007 photo fide; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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