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Davis' Masdevallia

Masdevallia davisii

Also called Orchid Of The Sun

Davis' Masdevallia
Photo: Walter Hood Fitch (1817-1892) del. et lith. Description by Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817—1911), Public domain

Davis' masdevallia is a small epiphytic orchid from the cloud forests of Peru, prized for its single bright yellow flower with three tail-like sepals. It needs cool growing conditions and bright shade to bloom well.

Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Light
Part shade
Water
Keep the medium evenly moist during active growth and water less in winter, avoiding waterlogging.
Soil
Fine bark or sphagnum moss mix with good drainage and airflow.
Temperature
12–22 °C; protect below 8 °C
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Not known to be toxic. Not toxic to cats or dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
Peru
Climate
wet tropical

About

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, known as waqanki.

It was named after Walter Davis who collected it near Cusco in Peru in 1873.

Where it grows

Masdevallia davisii is found in growing on rocky slopes in Peru at elevations of between 3000 and 3600 metres.

Other Masdevallia plants

Veitch's Masdevallia · Masdevallia

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Masdevallia davisii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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