Masdevallia

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Masdevallia
Masdevallia caudata Orchi 01.jpg
Masdevallia caudata
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Epidendreae
Subtribe: Pleurothallidinae
Genus: Masdevallia
Ruiz & Pav.
Subgenera

About one dozen, see text

Diversity
About 500 species
Synonyms [1]
  • AcinopetalaLuer
  • AlaticauliaLuer
  • Rodrigoa Braas
  • PortilliaKöniger
  • JostiaLuer
  • BuccellaLuer
  • ByrsellaLuer
  • Fissia(Luer) Luer
  • LuzamaLuer
  • MegemaLuer
  • PetalodonLuer
  • RegaliaLuer
  • ReichanthaLuer
  • SpectaculumLuer
  • SpilotanthaLuer
  • StreptouraLuer
  • TriotosiphonSchltr. ex Luer
  • ZahleriaLuer

Masdevallia, abbreviated Masd in horticultural trade, is a large genus of flowering plants of the Pleurothallidinae, a subtribe of the orchid family (Orchidaceae). There are over 500 species, grouped into several subgenera. The genus is named for Jose Masdevall (?-1801), a physician and botanist in the court of Charles III of Spain.

Contents

Range and morphology

These plants are found from Mexico to southern Brazil, but mostly in the higher regions (2,500-4,000 m ASL) of the Andes of Ecuador and Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. [1] They may be epiphytes, terrestrials or growing as lithophytes on damp rocks.

The plants are characterized by an abbreviated to elongate and creeping rhizome that gives rise to stems that lack pseudobulbs. The stem bears a single, fleshy, erect to pendent, ovate to lanceolate leaf. The flowers are triangular and occur singly or in racemose inflorescences. They are characterized by a showy calyx and reduced corolla. The sepals are fused at the base and frequently caudate. The petals flank the semiterete column and the tongue-shaped lip is flexibly hinged to a free column foot.

Cultivation

The species are sensitive to inappropriate cultural conditions and will show signs of stress by leaf spotting or dropping. They can generally be grown in pots with sphagnum or seedling grade wood chips although a few species produce descending inflorescences and are best accommodated in baskets. [2] In both cases the rhizome should remain at the surface of the medium in order to prevent rot.

Most of these plants are from high altitude cloud forests and require very cool conditions and abundant moisture throughout the year. They cannot tolerate dryness, low humidity, or excessive temperatures and the plants are very easy to kill. They will simply drop all their leaves and suddenly collapse if allowed to dry completely or are exposed to high temperatures. Many members of this genus from very high altitude cloud forests defy cultivation. Most of the species from this genus are considered less difficult in cultivation than plants from the genus Dracula, and some of them are very easy to cultivate and have a 'weedy' habit such as Veitch's masdevallia, but the majority of these species are usually very difficult to maintain in cultivation unless the plants can be kept cool and moist all the time.

Low humidity conditions or watering the plants with a water source which contains high levels of dissolved salts will result in the leaves yellowing and rapidly dying from the tips back to the rhizome. The plants should be provided with rain water or distilled water or a very pure water source. The medium should always remain moist as the plants do not have any significant storage structures like most orchids.

Selected species

Taxonomy

Masdevallia was found to be polyphyletic [3] and the taxonomy of the group is unresolved but the currently accepted taxonomy proceeds as follows: [4]

Subgenera

Veitch's masdevallia, Masdevallia (Masdevallia) veitichiana, is in section Masdevallia, subsection Coccineae Masdevallia veitichiana (1).jpg
Veitch's masdevallia, Masdevallia (Masdevallia) veitichiana, is in section Masdevallia, subsection Coccineae

Footnotes

Related Research Articles

<i>Pleurothallis</i> Genus of orchids

Pleurothallis is a genus of orchids commonly called bonnet orchids. The genus name is derived from the Greek word pleurothallos, meaning "riblike branches". This refers to the rib-like stems of many species. The genus is often abbreviated as "Pths" in horticultural trade.

<i>Stelis</i> Genus of orchids

Stelis, or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name Stelis is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic plants are widely distributed throughout much of South America, Central America, Mexico, the West Indies and Florida. Stelis is abbreviated Ste. in the horticultural trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pleurothallidinae</span> Subtribe of orchids

The Pleurothallidinae are a neotropical subtribe of plants of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) including 29 genera in more than 4000 species.

<i>Dracula</i> (plant) Genus of orchid

The orchid genus Dracula, abbreviated as Drac in horticultural trade, consists of 118 species native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The name Dracula literally means "little dragon", an allusion to the mythical Count Dracula, a lead character in numerous vampire novels and films. The name was applied to the orchid because of the blood-red color of several of the species, and the strange aspect of the long spurs of the sepals. The plants were once included in the genus Masdevallia, but became a separate genus in 1978. This genus has been placed in the subtribe Pleurothallidinae.

<i>Paphiopedilum</i> Genus of orchids

Paphiopedilum, often called the Venus slipper, is a genus of the lady slipper orchid subfamily Cypripedioideae of the flowering plant family Orchidaceae. The genus comprises some 80 accepted taxa including several natural hybrids. The genus is native to Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, southern China, New Guinea and the Solomon and Bismarck Islands. The type species of this genus is Paphiopedilum insigne.

<i>Epidendrum radicans</i> Species of orchid

Epidendrum radicans is a species of orchid. Common names include ground-rooting epidendrum, fire-star orchid, rainbow orchid, and reed-stem epidendrum. It is a common roadside weed at middle elevations in Central America. It is a crucifix orchid, often confused with many other members of the section Schistochila, including E. calanthe, E. cinnabarinum, E. denticulatum, E. erectum, E. fulgens, E. ibaguense, E. imatophyllum, E. incisum, E. schomburgkii, E. secundum, and E. xanthinum, among others. The diagnostic characteristic of E. radicans is its tendency to sprout roots all along the length of the stem; other crucifix orchids only produce roots near the base. Additionally, E. radicans flowers are resupinate, unlike the members of the Epidendrum secundum complex, E. fulgens, and many other crucifix orchids. E. radicans also differs from E. secundum by bearing no nectar in the flower.

<i>Rhododendron <span style="font-style:normal;">subg.</span> Rhododendron</i> Subgenus of flowering plants

Rhododendron subgenus Rhododendron is a subgenus of the genus Rhododendron. With around 400 species, it is the largest of the eight subgenera containing nearly half of all known species of Rhododendron and all of the lepidote species.

<i>Rhododendron <span style="font-style:normal;">subg.</span> Hymenanthes</i> Subgenus of flowering plants

Rhododendron subg. Hymenanthes is a subgenus of the genus Rhododendron, with a widespread distribution in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The species are evergreen shrubs and small to medium-sized trees, with medium-sized to large leaves. The flowers are large, produced in terminal trusses of 5-40 together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora of Colombia</span> Collective plants of Colombia

The Flora of Colombia is characterized by over 32,000 species of green plants.

<i>Masdevallia veitchiana</i> Species of plant

Masdevallia veitchiana, also known as Veitch's masdevallia or king of the masdevallias, is an orchid species of the genus Masdevallia.

<i>Masdevallia davisii</i> Species of orchid

Masdevallia davisii, or Davis' masdevallia, is a species of the orchid genus Masdevallia. It is also known as the orchid of the sun and was known to the Incas as qoriwaqanki – due to its similarity in form to the red Masdevallia veitchiana, known as waqanki.

<i>Epidendrum flexuosum</i> Species of orchid

Epidendrum flexuosum, a reed-stemmed Epidendrum common at mid-altitudes in Central America, is a species of orchid commonly called Epidendrum imatophyllum. It grows exposed to intense sunlight in the forest canopy, particularly on Guava species. E. flexuosum bears non-resupinate lavender flowers on a congested raceme at the end of a long peduncle.

<i>Epidendrum <span style="font-style:normal;">subsect.</span> Umbellata</i> Group of orchids

Epidendrum subsect. UmbellataRchb.f. (1861) is a subsection of section E. sect. PlanifoliaRchb.f. (1861) of subgenus E. subg. EpidendrumLindl. (1841) of the genus Epidendrum of the Orchidaceae. Plants of E. subsect. Umbellata differ from the other subsections of E. sect. Planifolia by producing inflorescences which are umbel-like. In 1861, Reichenbach recognized ten species in this subsection. Of these, nine are recognized with the same names by Kew :

<i>Epidendrum <span style="font-style:normal;">subsect.</span> Spathacea</i> Group of orchids

Epidendrum subsect. SpathaceaRchb.f. is a subsection of the section E. sect. PlanifoliaRchb.f. 1861 of the subgenus E. subg. EpidendrumLindl. 1841 of the genus EpidendrumLindl. of the Orchidaceae. Like the other subsections of E. sect. Planifolia, the species of E. subsect. Spathacea are characterized by a sympodial growth habit without pseudobulbs, a lack of any spathes or sheathes covering the base of the racemose inflorescence, and by flat leaves. The species categorized in Spathacea differ from the members of the other subsections by having large floral bracts, which make the inflorescence resemble a strobilus. Reichenbach originally placed eight species in this subsection :

Epidendrum subsect. PaniculataRchb.f. 1861 is a subsection of section E. sect. Planifolia of subgenus E. subgen. Epidendrum of the genus Epidendrum of the Orchidaceae. Plants of E. subsect. Paniculata differ from the other subsections of E. sect. Planifolia by producing paniculate inflorescences. In 1861, Reichenbach recognized eighteen species in this subsection. From this group, Kew recognizes seventeen species :

<i>Epidendrum <span style="font-style:normal;">subsect.</span> Carinata</i> Group of orchids

Epidendrum subsect. CarinataRchb.f. (1861) is a subsection of the section E. sect. SchistochilaRchb.f. (1861) of the subgenus E. subg. AmphiglottiumLindl. (1841) of the genus Epidendrum of the Orchidaceae. This subsection differs from the subsection E. subsect. Integra in that the margins of the trilobate lip are dentate or lacerate. This subsection differs from the subsection E. subsect. Tuberculata by possessing a keel or carina on the midlobe of the lip. In 1861, Reichenbach listed nine species in this subsection.

<i>Epidendrum <span style="font-style:normal;">sect.</span> Schistochila</i> Group of orchids

Epidendrum sect. SchistochilaRchb.f. (1861) is a section of the subgenus E. subg. AmphiglottiumLindl. (1841) of the Genus Epidendrum of the Orchidaceae. E. sect. Schistochila differs from the section E. sect. Holochila in that the species in E. sect. Holochila have undivided lips; the species in E. sect. Schistochila have lobate lips. The species in both E. sect. Schistochila and E. sect. Holochila have racemose inflorescences, unlike those in E. sect. Polycladia, which have truly paniculate inflorescences. Like the other sections of E. subg. Amphiglottium, the members of E. sect. Schistochila are sympodial orchids bearing thin stems with alternate leaves, a long peduncle covered with thin, imbricating sheathes, and a lip adnate to the very end of the column.

<i>Rhododendron <span style="font-style:normal;">sect.</span> Vireya</i> Group of shrubs

Rhododendron section Vireya (vireyas) is a tropical group of Rhododendron species, numbering about 300 in all. The group may also be treated as Rhododendron subgenus Vireya. Vireyas are native to southeastern Asia and range from Thailand to Australia.

<i>Allium</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae

Allium is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants with hundreds of species, including the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, and chives. The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic, and the type species for the genus is Allium sativum which means "cultivated garlic".

References

  1. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids ISBN   0-88192-267-6
  3. Pridgeon et al. (2001)
  4. The Plant List(2010)