This remarkable Masdevallia has flowers considerably larger than the plant (as long as you include the long yellow tails to the sepals) For us it flowers irregularly throughout the year which probably reflects the even conditions it finds in its cloud forest home from 1400-2400m altitude.

From photographs it appears that the species is highly variable and has many colour forms so perhaps we should be on the look out for different clones.

We like to grow this species mounted on cork bark as it shows off the large flowers very well and the plant was greatly admired at the London Show.