This small growing but large flowered masdevallia species is endemic to Peru where it grows as a terrestrial or lithophyte in open patches amongst cloud forest from 2600 to 4000m. As a result it is one of our cooler growing masdevallias and we find a little tricky since it resents warm summer temperatures.

We find the species does best in a basket where we can keep it really well watered without getting soggy, and its winter flowers coincide with its main growing season before its summer sulk (in our slightly too hot greenhouse).