Dracula platycrater (Rchb. f.) Luer 1978 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Grandiflorae-Parvilabiate

Flower Closeup Photos by © Andreas Phillip

Plant and Flower Photo by © Milan Vágner

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Common Name The Broad-Throat Dracula [refers to the shape of the epichile]

Flower Size 4" [10 cm]

Found in Colombia in cloud forests at elevations of 1500 to 2000 meters as a small sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, eret, thinly coriaceous, carinate, elliptical, acute, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate, indistinct, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer, fall and winter on a horizontal to descending, loose, 7" [17 cm] long, successively few flowered inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul witha few distant bracts and a tubular floral bract.

Synonyms Dracula lowii (Rolfe) Luer 1978; Masdevallia lowii Rolfe 1890; *Masdevallia platycrater Rchb. f. 1886

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 9 1984 photo; Thesaurus Dracularum Vol 2 Luer, Ecobar and Dalstroem 1989 watercolor/drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchid Vol 1 COS 1990 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum X Systematics of Dracula Luer 1993 drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 4 COS 1994 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 65 No 6 2000 photo; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007

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