Masdevallia pyxis Luer 1978 SUBGENUS Polyanthae SUBSECTION Successiviflorae Luer 2000 Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

Another Angle Photo courtesy of Patricia Harding

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Common Name The Box Masdevallia [refers to the shape of the sepaline tube]

Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]

This small sized, terrestrial or lithophytic species is found in Colombia and Peru at elevations of 2300 to 2650 meters fully exposed on rocky slopes among scrub vegatation in leaf humus with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths carrying a single, apical, erect, thickly coriaceous, narrowly elliptic-obovate, subacute to obtuse leaf that is gradually narrowed below into a petiole and blooms on a short, erect, purple spotted, slender, single flowered inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul with a basal bract and a loose, tubular, purple spotted flower bract holding the flower below the leaves.

SynonymsAlaticaulia pyxis (Luer) Luer 2006

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XIX Systematics of Masdevallia Part 1 Luer 2000

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