Masdevallia pyxis Luer 1978 SUBGENUS Polyanthae SUBSECTION Polyanthae Rchb.f 1874
Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler
Photo courtesy of Patricia Harding
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
to 
Common Name The Box Masdevallia [refers to the shape of the sepaline tube]
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found in Peru fully exposed on rocky slopes among scrub vegatation in leaf humus at elevations of 2300 to 2650 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing terrestrial or lithophyte 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 in the winter 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.
Synonyms Alaticaulia 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 drawing fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia pyxis; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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