Species library › Masdevallia › Masdevallia empusa
Orchids Partly documented

Masdevallia empusa

Masdevallia empusa Luer is a small species of the wet eastern Andean foothills of Ecuador and Peru, recorded from Napo and Zamora-Chinchipe at roughly 800 to 1200 m. It is an intermediate to warm grower for a Masdevallia, wanting steady warmth, high humidity and rain in every month.

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

Presumed an epiphyte of very wet lower montane forest on the Amazonian slope of the Andes; no specific habitat notes are available beyond the record localities.

The two georeferenced records sit at about 830 and 1190 m; the species may extend somewhat higher.

EcuadorPeruNapoZamora-Chinchipe

🔒 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.