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Species library › Masdevallia › Masdevallia cucullata
Orchids Well documented

Masdevallia cucullata

Masdevallia cucullata (Lindley, 1846) is a classic cold-growing Andean cloud-forest species from Colombia and Ecuador, recorded at 2200-2780 m, named for its hooded dark purple-brown flower carried on a tall stem above the leaves. It needs cool days, cold nights near 10 C, high humidity and constant air movement, and fails in a warm room.

Masdevallia cucullata
Photo: Florence H. Woolward (illustrator); B.S. Marquess of Lothian (editors), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets 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

Epiphyte on mossy trunks in high cloud forest of the Cordillera Central and Occidental of Colombia (Antioquia, Caldas) and northern Ecuador, in near-permanent mist.

Fourteen records with elevations span 2200-2780 m, median 2500 m.

ColombiaEcuadorAntioquiaCaldasCarchi

🔒 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 Public domain licence, unmodified.