🇨🇴 Habitat and Ecology
Dracula diana 'Xanthina' is a rare, horticultural colour form of Dracula diana, a species endemic to the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia (specifically the Department of Valle del Cauca). It inhabits cool, wet cloud forests at elevations ranging from 1,800 to 2,400 metres. In this environment, the plants grow as epiphytes on the lower trunks of trees, bathed in perpetual mist and high humidity, shielded from direct sunlight by the dense canopy.
🌸 Description and Distinguishing Features
This orchid is a caespitose (clump-forming), epiphytic perennial that lacks pseudobulbs, a characteristic trait of the subtribe Pleurothallidinae.
Foliage: The plant consists of clusters of erect ramicauls (stems), each bearing a single thin, leathery, elliptic-lanceolate leaf. The leaves are a light to medium green, soft-textured, and keeled.
Flowers: The inflorescences are horizontal to slightly pendent, emerging from the base of the plant. They bear a single flower that faces downwards or outwards.
Aesthetics (The 'Xanthina' Form): While the standard Dracula diana is characterized by dark purple-black or brownish spotting on a white background (often appearing nearly black), the 'Xanthina' (or var. xanthina) form is the "albino" or xanthic mutation. It lacks the purple anthocyanin pigments.
Colour: The sepals are a bright, clear lemon-yellow to creamy-white.
Tails: The long, slender tails (caudae) at the tips of the sepals are yellow or pale green.
Lip: The mobile lip (labellum) is typically pure white, creating a clean, fresh contrast against the yellow sepals.
🔬 Taxonomy and Ethnobotany
Taxonomy: The specific epithet diana honors Diana Luer, the daughter of Dr. Carlyle Luer, the legendary botanist who described a vast number of Pleurothallid orchids. The term xanthina comes from the Greek xanthos (yellow), denoting the loss of red/purple pigment.
Pollination Biology: Like many Dracula species, D. diana utilizes fungal mimicry for pollination. The lip of the flower often resembles the gills of a mushroom in texture and scent, attracting fungus gnats (Mycetophilidae) that seek a place to lay eggs. The "xanthic" form, despite its colour change, retains the morphology to permit this interaction, though it may be less visible to pollinators than the high-contrast standard form.
💧 Cultivation and Care
Dracula diana 'Xanthina' is a cool-growing specialist plant. It is intolerant of heat and dryness, making it a challenge for open household culture but a gem for cool greenhouses or climate-controlled terrariums.
Light: Requires deep shade to low filtered light. In the wild, they grow near the forest floor. Leaves should be a rich green; yellowing leaves indicate too much light.
Substrate: Best grown in mesh pots or wooden baskets lined with sphagnum moss. This allows for the high moisture retention they need while providing airflow to the roots. It also accommodates flower spikes that may grow laterally or downwards through the medium.
Watering: The medium must be kept consistently wet. Dracula have no pseudobulbs to store water; if they dry out, they will quickly perish. Use pure water (rainwater, distilled, or RO) only, as they are extremely sensitive to salts and mineral buildup, which causes leaf tip burn.
Temperature:
Optimal Daytime: 16-20 C (60-68 F).
Optimal Nighttime: 10-14 C (50-58 F).
Critical Limit: Temperatures consistently above 24 C (75 F) can be fatal.
Humidity: Very High (80-90%+) is essential.
✨ Unique Features
The 'Xanthina' form is prized for its luminous, cheerful appearance, which stands in stark contrast to the typically sombre, gothic, and dark colouration of most Dracula species. It retains the charming "monkey face" geometry but presents it in a bright, lemon-yellow palette, making it a "ghostly" or "sunny" version of the standard species.
🏷️ Specifications
Plant Size: in aquatic pots in moss. Each plant has 5+ ramicauls with leaves.
Plant Family: Orchidaceae
Plant Passport: A Dracula diana 'Xanthina' B 140084 C [buyer to use number of the plant label] D GB
