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Species library › Masdevallia › Masdevallia encephala
Orchids Partly documented

Masdevallia encephala

Masdevallia encephala Luer & R.Escobar is a Colombian species from the cool, wet cloud forests of Boyaca in the Eastern Cordillera at around 2500 m. Its odd tubular flowers with a fleshy, brain-like lip give it its name; grow it cool, humid and evenly moist all year.

Masdevallia encephala
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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

A small tufted epiphyte of mossy Andean cloud forest; the records come from the humid oak and cloud forests of Boyaca.

Records carry no elevation; the climate site is set at 2500 m, matching the cloud-forest belt of the collecting area.

ColombiaBoyaca

🔒 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-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.