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Page 1 Masdevallia |
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Page 4 Masdevallia |
Page 5 Dracula & Porroglossum |
The genus Masdevallia was established by Hipólito Ruiz López and José Masdeval in 1794 on the basis of a plant that had been collected in Peru and transferred to Spain. The genus was named after José Masdeval, doctor and botanist on the court of Charles III of Spain.
The genus comprises about 400 species, widely spread from Southern Brazil to Southern Mexico. Most of them grow in the Andes, preferably in altitudes of 2000m and more.
The genus Masdevallia is difficult to systematize because of its size. Some species are so closely related to Pleurothallis that it is very difficult to distinguish between the two genera. Masdevallia are special for the continuing growth of the flowers in full bloom. Furthermore, the colouring of the flower depends on temperature, light, state of cultivation and the age of the flower.
The genus has been revised several times. The most comprehensive work was done by the American botanist Carlyle Luer. He divided the genus into 12 subgenera.
Some new genera were established for several genera that did not fit into any of Masdevallia's subgenera:
Andreetaea, Dracula, Dryadella and Trisetella. We can expect further divisions.
