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Species library › Masdevallia › Masdevallia bicolor
Orchids Well documented

Masdevallia bicolor

Masdevallia bicolor Poepp. & Endl. is one of the more widespread species of the genus, ranging from Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to Bolivia and mostly recorded between about 1200 and 2400 m. It is a small, easy intermediate grower with two-toned yellow and purple flowers, and the measured climate confirms mild days, cool nights and humid air with a short drier spell late in the year.

Masdevallia bicolor
Photo: CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

A small tufted epiphyte, occasionally on mossy rocks, in wet montane and cloud forest on both Andean slopes; the 49 GBIF wild records span the whole tropical Andes.

Recorded at 600 to 2364 m, median 1800 m over 30 records; most plants come from 1200 to 2400 m.

VenezuelaColombiaEcuadorPeruBolivia

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 2.0 licence, unmodified.