Masdevallia sanctae-fidei Kraenzl. 1921 < SUBGENUS Polyantha SECTION Alaticaules SUBSECTION Alaticaules [Krzl.] Luer 1986
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Drawing by Carl Luer
EARLY
Common Name The Santa Fe De Bogota' Masdevallia
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found Venezuela and Colombia in lower montane forests at elevations of 500 to 1800 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly obovate, subacute, gradually narrowing below into the indistinct, channeled, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring through early fall on a slender, erect to suberect, triquetrous, 2.4 to 3.2" [6 to 8 cm] long, congested, successively few flowered inflorescence arising from the base of the ramicaul and with a bract at the base and tubular, imbricating floral bracts.
CAUTION Does not match Luer's drawing exactly, the photo has much shorter tails [they may be reflexed] and the sepals of the synsepal are less rotund medianally
Synonyms Alaticaulia sanctae-fidei (Kraenzl.) Luer 2006; Masdevallia dispar Luer 1979
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 as M lata drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 2 Dunsterville and Garay 1979 as M lata not = M sancta fidei drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 photo fide; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIX Masdevallia Part 1 Luer 2000 drawing fide; Masdevallia's in Kleur Vol 1 P M Oversteegen, Eisses & A P Sijm 2001 photo fide; Orquideas Nativas del Tachira Cesar Fernandez 2003 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Alaticaulia sanctae-fidei; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007; Orchids Masdevallia with its segregates including Dracula Zelenko 2014 photo fide;
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