Masdevallia melanoglossa Luer 1989 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Masdevallia SUBSECTION Masdevallia Photo by © Duane McDowell and his Flickr Orchid Photo Website

Common Name or Meaning The Black Tongued Masdevallia

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Loja Ecuador around 2600 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, slender, blackish ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, acute, gradually narrowing below below into the indistinct, slender petiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer on a horizontal, slender, congested, 2.4 to 2.8" [6 to 7 cm] long, successively single, few flowered inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul with a bract below the middle and a tubular floral bract.

CAUTION I have my doubts about this determination as!1 the lip is not black, the tails are orange yellow instead of light yellow and the leaves appear to be too wide. So please use with caution

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXII Masdevallia Part 3 Luer 2001 drawing ok; A Treasure of Masdevallia Vol 26 Luer & Dalstroem 2001 watercolor ok; Orchidaceae Masdevallia and Affiliates Dodson & Luer 2009 drawing hmm

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