''Masdevallia'', abbreviated Masd in horticultural trade, is a large

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s of the Pleurothallidinae, a

subtribe Subtribe is a taxonomic category ranking which is below the rank of tribe and above genus. The standard suffix for a subtribe is -ina (in animals) or -inae (in plants). The first use of this word dates back to the late 19th century. An example of ...

of the orchid

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

(

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan plants that ...

). There are over 500

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, grouped into several

subgenera In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

. The genus is named for Jose Masdevall (?-1801), a physician and botanist in the court of Charles III of Spain.

Range and morphology

These plants are found from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

to southern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, but mostly in the higher regions (2,500-4,000 m ASL) of the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

and

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> They may be

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

s, terrestrials or growing as lithophytes on damp rocks. The plants are characterized by an abbreviated to elongate and creeping

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

that gives rise to stems that lack pseudobulbs. The stem bears a single, fleshy, erect to pendent, ovate to lanceolate

leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...

. The flowers are triangular and occur singly or in racemose inflorescences. They are characterized by a showy calyx and reduced corolla. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s are fused at the base and frequently caudate. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s flank the semiterete column and the tongue-shaped

lip The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...

is flexibly hinged to a free column foot.

Cultivation

The species are sensitive to inappropriate cultural conditions and will show signs of stress by leaf spotting or dropping. They can generally be grown in pots with sphagnum or seedling grade wood chips although a few species produce descending inflorescences and are best accommodated in baskets. In both cases the rhizome should remain at the surface of the medium in order to prevent rot. Most of these plants are from high altitude cloud forests and require very cool conditions and abundant moisture throughout the year. They cannot tolerate dryness, low humidity, or excessive temperatures and the plants are very easy to kill. They will simply drop all their leaves and suddenly collapse if allowed to dry completely or are exposed to high temperatures. Many members of this genus from very high altitude cloud forests defy cultivation. Most of the species from this genus are considered less difficult in cultivation than plants from the genus ''Dracula'', and some of them are very easy to cultivate and have a 'weedy' habit such as Veitch's masdevallia, but the majority of these species are usually very difficult to maintain in cultivation unless the plants can be kept cool and moist all the time. Low humidity conditions or watering the plants with a water source which contains high levels of dissolved salts will result in the leaves yellowing and rapidly dying from the tips back to the rhizome. The plants should be provided with rain water or distilled water or a very pure water source. The medium should always remain moist as the plants do not have any significant storage structures like most orchids.

Selected species

* '' Masdevallia antonii'' * '' Masdevallia davisii'' – Davis' masdevallia, orchid of the sun, ''qoriwaqanki'' ( Quechua) * '' Masdevallia pinocchio'' * '' Masdevallia unguentum'' * '' Masdevallia veitchiana'' – Veitch's masdevallia, king of the masdevallias, ''gallo-gallo'' ( Spanish), ''waqanki'' (Quechua)

Taxonomy

''Masdevallia'' was found to be polyphyletic and the taxonomy of the group is unresolved but the currently accepted taxonomy proceeds as follows:The Plant List(2010)

Subgenera

* Subgenus '' Amanda'' (≡'' Spilotantha'') ** Section ''Amandae'': 28+ species, e.g. ''M. amanda'', '' M. bulbophyllopsis'', ''M. melanopus'', ''M. polysticta''. Separated in ''Spilotantha''. ** Section ''Ophioglossae'': 1-2 species – '' M. ophioglossa'', ''M. ophioglossa'' ssp. ''grossa'' * Subgenus '' Cucullatia'': (≡'' Megema'')4 species – '' M. cerastes'', '' M. corniculata'', '' M. cucullata'', '' M. macrura'' * Subgenus '' Fissia'': (≡'' Fissia'') 3 species – '' M. mutica'', '' M. picturata'', '' M. pleurothalloides'' * Subgenus '' Masdevallia'' ** Section ''Amaluzae'': (≡'' Luzama'') 6 species, e.g. '' M. amaluzae'', '' M. carmenensis'', '' M. patula'' ** Section ''Aphanes'': (≡'' Pteroon'') 3 species – '' M. aphanes'', '' M. capillaris'', '' M. scopaea'' ** Section ''Coriaceae'' : *** Subsection ''Coriaceae'': (≡'' Byrsella'') ~35 species, e.g. '' M. angulata'', '' M. caesia'', '' M. civilis'', '' M. elephanticeps'', '' M. foetens'', '' M. fractiflexa'' *** Subsection ''Durae'': (≡'' Regalia'') 4 species – '' M. ayabacana'', '' M. dura'', '' M. panguiensis'', '' M. utriculata'' ** Section ''Ligiae'': Monotypic – '' M. ligiae'' ** Section ''Masdevallia'': *** Subsection ''Caudatae'': ~28 species, e.g. '' M. bottae'', '' M. caudata'', '' M. decumana'', '' M. lychniphora'', '' M. triangularis'', '' M. xanthina'' *** Subsection ''Coccineae'': 12 species, e.g. '' M. amabilis'', '' M. barlaeana'', '' M. coccinea'', '' M. ignea'', '' M. veitchiana'' *** Subsection ''Masdevallia'': ~58 species, e.g. '' M. agaster'', '' M. calocodon'', '' M. mejiana'', '' M. pumila'', '' M. uniflora'' *** Subsection ''Oscillantes'': ~11 species, e.g. '' M. andreettana'', '' M. wageneriana'' (including ''M. pteroglossa'') *** Subsection ''Saltatrices'': 14 species, e.g. '' M. angulifera'', '' M. constricta'', '' M. limax'', '' M. saltatrix'', '' M. urosalpinx'', '' M. ventricularia'' *** Subsection ''Tubulosae'': 7 species, e.g. '' M. bangii'', '' M. irapana'', '' M. tubulosa'' ** Section ''Mentosae'': Monotypic – '' M. mentosa'' ** Section ''Minutae'': ~21 species, e.g. '' M. floribunda'', '' M. herradurae'', '' M. minuta'', '' M. nicaraguae'', '' M. wendlandiana'' ** Section ''Racemosae'': (≡'' Spectaculum'') Monotypic – '' M. racemosa'' ** Section ''Reichenbachianae'': *** Subsection ''Dentatae'' : (≡'' Petalodon'') 2 species – '' M. collina'', '' M. macrogenia'' *** Subsection ''Reichenbachianae'': (≡'' Reichantha'') ~11 species, e.g. '' M. rolfeana'', '' M. schroderiana'', '' M. striatella'' * Subgenus '' Meleagris'': (≡'' Rodrigoa'') 7 species, e.g. '' M. anisomorpha'', '' M. heteroptera'', '' M. meleagris'' * Subgenus '' Nidifica'': (≡'' Buccella'') 4-5 species: e.g. '' M. dynastes'', '' M. nidifica'' (including ''M. ventricosa'') * Subgenus '' Polyantha'' (≡'' Alaticaulia'') ** Section ''Alaticaules'': 97 species, e.g. '' M. bicolor'', '' M. infracta'', '' M. scobina'', '' M. stenorrhynchos'', '' M. tovarensis'', '' M. vargasii'', '' M. weberbaueri'' ** Section ''Polyanthae'': 7 species, e.g. '' M. discoidea'', '' M. lata'', '' M. polyantha'', '' M. schlimii'' * Subgenus '' Scabripes'' (≡'' Portilla'') * Subgenus '' Volvula'' (≡'' Streptoura'') Image:Masdevallia civilis.jpg, ''Masdevallia (Masdevallia)'' sect. ''Coriaceae'' subsect. ''Coriaceae'':
'' Masdevallia civilis'' Image:Masdevallia triangularis.jpg, ''Masdevallia (Masdevallia)'' sect. ''Masdevallia'' subsect. ''Caudatae'':
'' Masdevallia triangularis'' Image:Masdevallia pteroglossa.jpg, ''Masdevallia (Masdevallia)'' sect. ''Masdevallia'' subsect. ''Oscillantes'':
'' Masdevallia wageneriana'' var. ''pteroglossa'' Image:Masdevallia angulifera Orchi 01.jpg, ''Masdevallia (Masdevallia)'' sect. ''Masdevallia'' subsect. ''Saltatrices'':
'' Masdevallia angulifera'' Image:Masdevallia floribunda Orchi 03.jpg, ''Masdevallia (Masdevallia)'' sect. ''Minutae'':
'' Masdevallia floribunda'' Image:Acinopetala wendlandiana.jpg, ''Masdevallia (Masdevallia)'' sect. ''Minutae'':
'' Masdevallia wendlandiana'' Image:Masdevalliaventricosa1.jpg, ''Masdevallia (Nidifica)'':
'' Masdevallia nidifica'' Image:Masdevallia bicolor.jpg, ''Masdevallia (Polyantha)'' sect. ''Alaticaules'':
'' Masdevallia bicolor''

Footnotes

* (2005): ''Masdevallias, Gems of the Orchid World''. Timber Press. * : ''Icones Pleurothallidinarum, Systematics of ''Masdevallia (multiple volumes). Missouri Botanical Garden Press. (1984–2003) * (2001): Phylogenetic relationships in Pleurothallidinae (Orchidaceae): combined evidence from nuclear and plastid DNA sequences. ''American Journal of Botany'' 88: 2286–2308.

References

External links

* *
Image gallery

Masdevallia species and hybrids catalog with images
{{Authority control Epiphytic orchids Pleurothallidinae genera Taxa named by José Antonio Pavón Jiménez Taxa named by Hipólito Ruiz López