Those Darling Draculas!
In an earlier edition of the Orchid Digest Magazine, there is a special section with nothing but Dracula pictures and text.
When the first Dracula plant was discovered (by B. Roezl in 1875), it was placed into the genus Masdevallia. Only in 1978 C. Luer separated these orchids from their Masdevallia cousins; he coined the name “Dracula’ which means ‘Little Dragon’, but he likely had in mind the infamous Count Dracula of Vampire fame. Many of these orchids look like faces of bats or gnomes. They often have sinister epithets like: - vampyra, - chimaera, -simia, meaning ‘monkey face’, - tarantula, - nosferatu et al. I think you get the message.
 Dracula gigas |
Basically, their flowers have three large triangular sepals which end in very long tails (called ‘caudae’); inside the flowers, the petals are very small and folded in half, sitting on either side of the column. These little petals look like a pair of little eyes, peering out above a long, wiggly nose (which is really the lip of this orchid). Most Draculas have a fuzzy, hairy or even shaggy surface, which helps even more to create the impression of a creature’s face looking at you. In many cases the flowers grow downward and it works better to have these plants hanging up in baskets. They can re-bloom several times from the same stem, so don’t be too quick to cut them off.
Being closely related to the Masdevallias, they obviously belong to the Subtribe of Pleurothallids. This gives us an immediate idea that Draculas will do better in a cooler and rather humid environment with little direct sun. They need pure water and very little fertilizer, constant moisture and fresh air. Summer temperatures with good ventilation must not exceed 78°F (25°C) and in the winter must not sink lower than 50°F (9°C).
There are about 100 different species of Draculas; they come from the cool mountain regions of Central and South America. Some of these beguiling creations are becoming more readily available from species suppliers. There are even a few hybrids of Draculas; here you can find names like Drac. Quasimodo, Drac. Jester and Drac. Black Widow – again emphasizing their spooky looks. Some have been crossed with Masdevallias, having the name Dracuvallia and they too look just as odd as you can wish.
If you enjoy the unusual, if you cherish smaller plants and are able to provide the right environment for these special little goblin flowers, do try to grow some Draculas.
Ingrid Schmidt-Ostrander - Canadian Orchid Congress