''Masdevallia davisii'', or Davis' masdevallia, is a species of the
orchid genus ''
Masdevallia''. It is also known as the orchid of the sun and was known to the
Incas as ''qoriwaqanki'' ("golden waqanki") – due to its similarity in form to the red ''
Masdevallia veitchiana
''Masdevallia veitchiana'', (pronounced "veech-e-anna") also known as Veitch's masdevallia or king of the masdevallias, is an orchid species of the genus ''Masdevallia''.
The plant is found in the wild near Machu Picchu and nearby areas in Peru ...
'', known as ''waqanki''.
It was named after
Walter Davis who collected it near
Cusco
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...
in
Peru in 1873.
Description
''Masdevallia davisii'' is grown cool and blooms in the late spring with a single brilliant yellow flower, usually deep orange inside. The 6.5 to 9 cm flowers hold themselves high and appear successively on an erect, slender
peduncle Peduncle may refer to:
*Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed
*Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body
**Peduncle (art ...
, 25 cm long.
The flowers' predominant feature is their thickly textured and well-developed
sepals, which end in three characteristic tails (one pointing up and the other two pointing down).
Distribution
''Masdevallia davisii'' is found in growing on rocky slopes in Peru at elevations of between 3000 and 3600 metres.
Culture
''Masdevallia davisii'' can be grown in cool conditions in partial shade. It should be potted in fine bark with
perlite or
sphagnum moss and watered regularly, with the potting media kept moist.
History
In 1873,
Walter Davis was dispatched by
James Veitch & Sons of
Chelsea, London to collect samples of ''
M. veitchiana'' and related species. While collecting in the vicinity of
Cusco
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...
, Davis found another unidentified Masdevallia species.
He sent flowers to
Heinrich Reichenbach for identification; in
The Gardeners' Chronicle, Reichenbach described this new species as ''"M. davisii"'', saying:
"This is a beautiful thing, much like '' M. harryana'' and '' veitchiana''.... The other parts of the flower are yellowish, white and of the deepest splendid orange inside; so that it would appear to give a most welcome contrast in a group of the scarlet and vermillion and white Masdevallias. It was discovered by a, most probably new collector, Mr. W. Davis... I have a very good opinion of this collector, who was introduced to me by a set of new dried Orchids; so I thought it my duty to attach the name of such a promising collector to such a welcome Masdevallia."
''Masdevallia davisii'' flowered for the first time in England in August 1874
and rapidly gained favour, becoming widely cultivated in Europe for many years, but it eventually disappeared from collections, joining the ranks of "lost" orchid species, before being re-introduced by David Wellisch of
San Francisco in 1978 and by Berthold Wurstle of
Spielberg, Germany in 1980.
References
External links
*
*
A rather colourful description of a journey in search of Qoriwaqanki
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6782918
davisii
Endemic orchids of Peru
Veitch Nurseries