Masdevallia norops Luer & Andreetta 1978 SUBGENUS Masdevallia SECTION Masdevallia SUBSECTION Masdevallia
Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
to 
Common Name The Shining Masdevallia
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in Ecuador and Peru in cloud forests at elevations of 1500 to 2800 meters as a cool to cold growing, miniature sized epiphyte with a slender, erect, blackish ramicaul enveloped basally by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths carrying a single apical, erect, coriaceous, petiolate, elliptical, subacute leaf that is cuneate basally into the slender, channeled petiole and blooms in the spring on an erect, slender, 2 2/5" to 4" [6 to 10 cm] long, solitary flowered inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul with a bract below the middle and a floral bract holding the single flower at or below leaf height.
This species can be distinguished by having an elliptical, long petiolate leaf and a unique bright orange flower held above the middle and below the leaf. It has sepals that are fairly fleshy and rigid as well as the blade of the dorsal is convex and somewhat horizontal holding the acute apex reflecting the long tail upward and the lateral sepals are rigid and concave as well as narrow and falcate and more or less cross. The petals are callous above the lower margin with a blunt, basal tooth and the lip is oblong, acute and arcuate.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Systematics of Masdevallia Vol 2 Luer 1986; Orchid Digest Vol 58 No 4 1994 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 64 No 2 1995 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXII Systematics of Masdevallia Part 3 Luer 2001 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; Orchid Digest Vol 72 No 4 2008 photo fide; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orchidaceae Masdevallia and Affiliates Dodson & Luer 2009 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #1 2012 photo fide; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #4 2015 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #9 2017 photo fide;
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