Surname: Dracula andreettae, (Luer) Luer 1978 var. xanthina
Synonyms:
Masdevallia andreettae, Luer 1978
etymology:
andreettae = Angel Andreetta (1920 - 2011), Italian priest, came to Ecuador as a missionary in 1939 and during his more than 30 years of missionary work he traveled to many parts of the country and collected numerous orchids with Carlyle August Luer, among others. In addition to numerous species, the genus Andreettaea Luer (Orchidaceae) was founded in his honor in 1978. He also laid the foundation for numerous nurseries in Ecuador, including Ecuagenera.
xanthina = yellowish
Reproduction: Division
Origin: Ecuador
Location:
epiphytic on wet, mossy trees at altitudes of 2000 to 2500 m in the Pacific Andes.
Remarks:
The type comes from the first collection by Padre Angel Andretta & A. Hirtz, and first flourished in Cuenca. Luer found Dracula andreettae again on July 12, 1977 in Carcha, Ecuador, and first described it as Masdevallia andreettae. Shortly afterwards he transferred it to the genus Dracula, which he had founded.
Dracula andreettae can produce 20-25cm long, hanging inflorescence stalks with up to 2 flowers per stalk, the flower size is very variable at 12 -20cm