Masdevallia carruthersiana F. Lehm. & Kraenzl. 1925 SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986

Photo by © Lourens Grobler

Drawing

Drawing by Carl Luer

Common Name Carruther's Masdevallia [English Botanist early 1900's]

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe provinces of Ecuador at altitudes of 1200 to 2500 meters as a miniature sized, caespitose, cool to cold growing epiphytic herb with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, subacute to obtuse leaf that is narrowly cuneate below into the subpetiolate base that blooms in the summer on a congested, 12"+ [30 cm+], triquetrous, successively single, many flowered inflorescence with imbricating, as long as to shorter than the pedicel floral bracts and flowers that are held well above the leaves.

"Characterized bythe long, triquetrous peduncle, a congested raceme of successive flower with a shallow cup and a broad, verrucose to spiculate synsepal that is longitudinally sulcate along the veins and with the margins of the sides recurved. The lip is distinguished by prominent, wing-like marginal folds and the epichile is convex, markedly verrucose and apiculate." Luer 2000

Masdevallia torulosa is often cited as a synonym of this species but its lip has two basal ear-like lobes that are not present in M carruthersiana so I have left them separate pending more research

Synonyms Alaticaulia carruthersiana (F.Lehm. ex Kraenzl.) Luer 2006; Masdevallia margaretae Luer 1983

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 288 Bennett & Christenson 1995; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XIX Systematics of Masdevallia Part 1 Luer 2000 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 Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia carruthersiana; Orchidaceae Masdevallia and Affiliates Dodson & Luer 2009 as Alaticaulia carruthersiana drawing fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 as M torulosa photo fide;

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