A small to medium size warm to intermediate growing epiphyte that was found in the in cloud forest on Mombacho Volcano in Nicaragua, but it grows across most of Central America. The waxy white flowers measure about 1,5 cm tall and bloom on a short, single flowered, suberect inflorescence amidst the leaves. I really like the sparse pink and green details inside the flowers and the faint smell of soap, they kind of look like they smell if that makes any sense? Luer wants to categorize Masdevallia nicaraguae under Acinopetala now, distinguished primarily by it caespitose habit (tufted form of growth) and that the sepals are fused to form the shape of a tube or cup.
A friend has seen these grow warm to downright hot in nature, but I grow mine cool and from the looks of things, it is not complaining. So I would say that this is a pretty tolerant species. I grow it in the cool vivarium, potted in a mesh pot with EpiWeb, low light, evenly wet, high humidity and good air circulation. First time it is blooming for me, and I really like it a lot. Nice with white flowers for Christmas, perhaps there is a traditional streak somewhere in me after all…
Masdevallia nicaraguae Luer, Selbyana 5: 148 (1979).
Nice species, Karma !!
In Costa Rica, it happens on northern cloud forests, recorded only from just a few locations, usually growing on shaded and very humid places around 500 to 1000 meters high.
Thanks Daniel! 🙂 Yes, it is a very nice species, I love it. Do you know who the pollinator is?
yes sure, fruit flies (at lankester garden there is a theory that several different genus of fruit flies could be pollinating the same Masdv species) . Several fruit flies were caught with pollinia atteched and they were sent to Brasil to an expert on those flies for species Id. They were possitively identified but I dont have the names right now (there are +200 different flies species which all look the same ha ha )
Same as M lata, M fonsecae, M demisa, M laucheana, M calura, etc . These plants make many seedling capsules at my backyard, same as CR Draculas.
In some cases, like D gorgona, the flowers rapidly catch mosquitos´ attention very early in the morning, and because the lot of mosquitos, the flowers get closed for the temperature change the insects cause =/
Google for JUAN CASTRO BLANCO NATIONAL PARK, its the species habitat in CR 😉
Thank you very much for the info, fun to know. Juan Castro Blanco National Park is beautiful! 🙂