Masdevallia ampullacea 'Connor'

In Explore May 27, 2011, #365.

Masdevallia ampullacea is another species in the saltatrices section of the genus Masdevallia. That translates into tubular flowers with longish tails and a kind of bulging "belly" at the base of the flowers. This group includes many of my favorite Masdevallia species.

The plant is small, 6-7cm tall, and the flowers which are held on spikes near the top of the leaves are 7cm tall from the tips of the tails. The flowers have a faint sweetish scent that I cannot identify and have hair-like glands on the inside of the tube. The plant hails from Ecuador.

Note: this was awarded as Masdevallia aurea but has been identified as Masdevallia ampullacea and the award is now under that name. The two species look quite similar and could be confused, though I still have my doubts.

For more pictures go to: orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2011/05/masdevallia-aurea....