"Masdevallia veitchiana... large orange flowers lined with purple hairs... flowers stand well above the foliage on 18-inch stems... native to the Andes in Peru... could be found growing in full sun among the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu... first discovered in 1867 and named in honor of Veitch and Sons... English... nursery that was the first to flower the... species.
... Because of extensive collection in the wild, Masdevallia veitchiana is rarely imported. It is... propagated... both from seed and by division. ... This rhizome can be divided to create new plants with clumps of at least five-10 leaves per division. Masdevallia veitchiana has... been used extensively to create many hybrids with... orange color. ... cool-growing... will grow outdoors and thrives in bright filtered light with good air circulation. Its native habitat, at 10,000 feet above sea level in the Andes, is virtually identical to the climate we have in San Francisco and coastal California. Masdevallia veitchiana prefers daytime temperatures from 60 to 80 degrees and will tolerate evening low temperatures in the 30s. The plants will freeze, so care should be taken in times of severe frost or freezing temperatures. Masdevallia veitchiana should be moist at all times and prefers a balanced (20-20-20) fertilizer every two weeks at one-half strength [too strong !]. ... The most common pests encountered with Masdevallias are aphids, which will attack both the developing flower buds and the new leaves. Aphids are a serious problem with Masdevallias because they are a main vector for transmitting viruses. The plants should be looked at often, and if aphids are present they should be sprayed with an insecticidal soap. ... Masdevallia veitchiana... will produce flower spikes more than once from the same leaf" URL : http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/27/HO62V0LFP.DTL photo : [caption : Masdevallia veitchiana 'Sol'... thrives in the Bay Area climate. Photo by Eric Hunt] http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2008/02/27/ho_masdevallia.jpg ***************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
