Masdevallia veitchiana
Encyclopedia
Masdevallia veitchiana, also known as Veitch's Masdevallia or King of the Masdevallias, is a species of the Masdevallia
genus of orchids
.
The plant is found in the wild in northwestern Peru
, where it is known as Gallo-Gallo, meaning "rooster" after the rooster-like red comb, crest and wattles of the flower. and Colombia
. The plant was named in honour of Harry Veitch
, of the Veitch Nurseries
family, by whose plant-hunters it was discovered in 1867, and who imported, cultivated, and first flowered this species.
Long considered the national treasure of Peru, it is rumoured to have been cultivated by the Incas centuries ago, who called the plant waqanki.
in Peru, on steep rocky slopes covered with grasses and shrubs in full sun but with the leaves protected by the grass with short ramicauls enveloped by a series of tubular bracts with a linear-oblanceolate, tapered to the channelled petiolate
base, acute, thick leaf that blooms in the spring and early summer with an erect, 39 to 44 cm. long, single flowered inflorescence carrying two distant, tubular bracts and a single inflated tubular, ovate floral bract with the long-lasting flowers held way above the leaves. The unequal colour distribution apparent in M. veitchiana is accorded to the presence of minute purple hairs on the sepals which lend a prismatic visual aspect to the flower. Viewed head-on with the light behind you, the colour is symmetrical.
This species has orange flowers covered in a pattern of small purple hairs that create a kind of iridescence as the flower moves in the breezes. The blooms are very large, approximately 5 cm. X 15 cm.
from which the thick, narrow leaves develop. This rhizome can be divided to create new plants with clumps of at least five to ten leaves per division. M. veitchiana has also been used extensively to create many hybrids with its distinctive orange color.
Masdevallia
Masdevallia, abbreviated Masd in horticultural trade, is a large genus of flowering plants of the Pleurothallidinae, a subtribe of the orchid family . There are over 500 species, grouped into several subgenera...
genus of orchids
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
.
The plant is found in the wild in northwestern Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, where it is known as Gallo-Gallo, meaning "rooster" after the rooster-like red comb, crest and wattles of the flower. and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. The plant was named in honour of Harry Veitch
Harry Veitch
Sir Harry James Veitch was an eminent English horticulturist in the nineteenth century, who was the head of the family nursery business, James Veitch & Sons, based in Chelsea, London...
, of the Veitch Nurseries
Veitch Nurseries
The Veitch Nurseries were the largest group of family-run plant nurseries in Europe during the 19th century. Started by John Veitch sometime before 1808, the original nursery grew substantially over several decades and was eventually split into two separate businesses - based at Chelsea and...
family, by whose plant-hunters it was discovered in 1867, and who imported, cultivated, and first flowered this species.
Long considered the national treasure of Peru, it is rumoured to have been cultivated by the Incas centuries ago, who called the plant waqanki.
Description
This cool to cold growing, large, terrestrial, sometimes lithophytic or rarely epiphytic, tufted species with erect leaves is found at a height of between 2,000 and 4,000 metres, including around Machu PicchuMachu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for...
in Peru, on steep rocky slopes covered with grasses and shrubs in full sun but with the leaves protected by the grass with short ramicauls enveloped by a series of tubular bracts with a linear-oblanceolate, tapered to the channelled petiolate
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
base, acute, thick leaf that blooms in the spring and early summer with an erect, 39 to 44 cm. long, single flowered inflorescence carrying two distant, tubular bracts and a single inflated tubular, ovate floral bract with the long-lasting flowers held way above the leaves. The unequal colour distribution apparent in M. veitchiana is accorded to the presence of minute purple hairs on the sepals which lend a prismatic visual aspect to the flower. Viewed head-on with the light behind you, the colour is symmetrical.
This species has orange flowers covered in a pattern of small purple hairs that create a kind of iridescence as the flower moves in the breezes. The blooms are very large, approximately 5 cm. X 15 cm.
Discovery
According to Hortus Veitchii:"Masdevallia Veitchiana was discovered in the lofty Andes of Peru by PearceRichard Pearce (botanist)Richard Pearce was a Victorian plant collector, who introduced the tuberous begonia to England, which led to the development of the hybrid begonias grown today.-Early career:Pearce was born at Stoke, Devonport in Devon...
in 1866, and successfully introduced by him. A few years later it was re-discovered in the same locality by Walter DavisWalter Davis (botanist)Walter Davis was an English plant collector, who collected in South America for James Veitch & Sons of Chelsea, London.-Early life:Davis was born at Sarson Street, now part of Amport, near Andover, Hampshire...
, who states that it grows in the crevices and hollows of the rocks with but little soil, at an altitude of 11,000-13,000 ft.
It is a variable plant, the flowers differing in size, colour, and in the manner in which the papillae is spread over the inner surface of the sepals. A large-flowered form, grandiflora, may be distinguished by having the upper sepal densely and uniformly covered with purple papillae, while in the lateral two this covering is confined entirely to the outer half, the inner being of the purest orange-scarlet and destitute of papillae."
Cultivation
M. veitchiana is an excellent plant for beginners and experienced growers alike. It grows quickly into a specimen plant and is quite spectacular when several flowers bloom together, usually between spring and summer. M. veitchiana prefers a cool, moist location but, like most orchids, requires good light to flower consistently. In poor light the flower stems tend to be weak, causing the flowers to droop. M. veitchiana prefers daytime temperatures from 15 to 25 degrees celsius and will tolerate evening low temperatures below 5 degrees. The plants will freeze, so care should be taken in times of severe frost or freezing temperatures.Propagation
Because of extensive collection in the wild, M. veitchiana is rarely imported. It is, however, propagated quite easily both from seed and by division. The plants grow very vigorously and have a rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
from which the thick, narrow leaves develop. This rhizome can be divided to create new plants with clumps of at least five to ten leaves per division. M. veitchiana has also been used extensively to create many hybrids with its distinctive orange color.