Masdevallia caudata

Masdevallia caudata is one of the most desirable of all the Masdevallia species.  It has huge flowers, in this case 16 cm from the tips of the tails, and on a plant that is only 8 cm tall.  It has a very strong but rather unpleasant scent and blooms in the spring.  It comes from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.  My plant is grown in sphagnum moss in a plastic net pot and watered nearly every day.

Masdevallia caudata

Masdevallia caudata is amazing.  The plant is only 8cm but the flowers are 16cm from tip to tip and can be even larger.  Their coloring is also unique and beautiful and very difficult to describe, but the pictures certainly show what I mean.  The name refers to the very long "tails" of the flower, the caudae.  They are 7-8cm long.  The plant is native to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.  The flowers have a rather strong scent as well, which I find difficult to place but also quite unpleasant.  Someone described the scent as that of artificially flavored raspberry drink, but that does not describe the scent to me.