We have more masdevallia species to end the week, starting with the very aptly named Masdevallia superbiens.

Most masdevallias produce one flower per stem but some like M. superbiens produce many flowers on each spike. The remarkable flowers of this species with purple spots on a white ground and orange/yellow tails on each sepal make it rather special.

The species is native to Ecuador and Bolivia at around 2800m in cool wet forest. We find that plants happy in baskets or pots where they are well watered but free draining. Plants are medium sized for a masdevallia with broad 12cm leaves and taller spikes that hold the long lasting flowers well clear of the plant.