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Laelia

 
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Laelia
 
 
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Laelia, abbreviated L in horticultural trade, is a small genus of eleven species from the orchid family (Orchidaceae
Orchidaceae

Orchidaceae is the largest Family of the flowering plants . Its name is derived from the genus Orchis.The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew list 880 genus and nearly 22,000 accepted species, but the exact number is unknown because of taxonomic disputes....
). This is one of the most important and popular orchid genera, because of the beautiful flowers, their genetic properties and because they are fairly easy in culture. It is probably named after Laelia, one of the Vestal Virgin
Vestal Virgin

In Ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins , were the virgin holy female priests of Vesta , the goddess of the hearth. Their primary task was to maintain the sacred fire of Vesta....
s. Another possibility is the name borne by female members of the Roman patrician
Patrician

The term "patrician" originally referred to a group of elitism citizens in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire became a term for Byzantine Imperial governors in the West....
 family of Laelius.

They are found in the subtropical or temperate climate of Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
, but mostly in Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
.






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Laelia, abbreviated L in horticultural trade, is a small genus of eleven species from the orchid family (Orchidaceae
Orchidaceae

Orchidaceae is the largest Family of the flowering plants . Its name is derived from the genus Orchis.The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew list 880 genus and nearly 22,000 accepted species, but the exact number is unknown because of taxonomic disputes....
). This is one of the most important and popular orchid genera, because of the beautiful flowers, their genetic properties and because they are fairly easy in culture. It is probably named after Laelia, one of the Vestal Virgin
Vestal Virgin

In Ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins , were the virgin holy female priests of Vesta , the goddess of the hearth. Their primary task was to maintain the sacred fire of Vesta....
s. Another possibility is the name borne by female members of the Roman patrician
Patrician

The term "patrician" originally referred to a group of elitism citizens in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire became a term for Byzantine Imperial governors in the West....
 family of Laelius.

They are found in the subtropical or temperate climate of Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
, but mostly in Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
. Laelia speciosa is a high-elevation plant, preferring sunny, dry and cool conditions. The others grow in the rainforest with a warm, humid summer and a dry cool winter. The species L. albida, L. anceps and L. autumnalis prefer higher and cooler altitudes.

Most are epiphyte
Epiphyte

File:Cadzow oak epiphyte 2.JPGAn epiphyte is an organism that grows upon or attaches to a living plant. Epiphyte is one of the subdivisions of the Raunki?r plant life-form....
s, but a few are lithophyte
Lithophyte

Lithophytes are a type of plant that grows in or on Rock . Lithophytes feed off moss, nutrients in rain water, litter, and even their own dead tissue....
s, such as Laelia anceps. They are closely related to Cattleya with only the number of pollinia
Pollinium

Pollinium, or plural pollinia, is a coherent mass of pollen grains.They are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit....
 differing. Stems
Plant stem

A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaf, inflorescence , conifer cones or other stems etc....
 are usually short, however the stem of Laelia anceps can be more than 1 m long. The ovate pseudobulb
Pseudobulb

The pseudobulb is a storage organ derived from the part of a stem between two leaf nodes.It applies to the orchid family , specifically certain groups of epiphyte orchids, and may be single or composed of several internodes with evergreen or deciduous leaves along its length....
s are clearly separate. These are about 6 - 30 cm long. One or two waxy, leathery leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 develop from each pseudobulb. This leaf can be up to 20 cm long. The inflorescence is a raceme, which can be 30 cm long, with up to eight flowers, growing from the top of the pseudobulb. These flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s can be pink to purple, with a beautifully colored purple lip becoming white close to the column
Column (botany)

The column, or technically the gynostemium, is a reproductive structure that can be found in several plant families: Aristolochiaceae, Orchidaceae, and Stylidiaceae....
 . They bloom in spring or autumn. Albino varieties are rare and therefore prized. Due to high demand for such a rare mutations, many horticultural labs use modern tissue culture or mericloning techniques to increase their availability.

Members of this genus tend to be fairly easy in culture, and some plants are surprisingly drought-tolerant. Culture is highly dependent upon the natural habitat of the species in question, although many do well as mounted (plaqued) specimens so that the roots receive plenty of air circulation and a sharp wet-and-dry cycle.

Many species from South America, which used to belong to Laelia, are now classified under Sophronitis
Sophronitis

Sophronitis, abbreviated Soph in horticultural trade, is a genus of small, epiphyte or lithophyte orchids, growing in the damp montane forest of eastern Brazil, Paraguay and NE Argentina....
 (van den Berg and Chase Lindleyana 15 (2), page 115, June 2000). The taxonomic status of some of these species is somewhat in doubt as they were moved there on the basis of molecular phylogeny
Molecular phylogeny

Molecular phylogenetics, also known as molecular systematics, is the use of the structure of molecules to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships....
. It seems likely that some growers and taxonomists will reject these changes, and continue to accept these "Sophronitis" species as laelias.

Laelia species readily form hybrids within the genus, and with other genera, including Cattleya
Cattleya

Cattleya is a genus of 42 species of orchids from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley, who received and successfully cultivated specimens of Cattleya labiata that were used as packing material in a shipment of other orchids....
 (x Laeliocattleya, more than 2,000 greges), Brassavola
Brassavola

Brassavola is a genus of 20 orchids . The name comes from the Venice nobleman and physician Antonio Musa Brassavola. This genus is abbreviated B in trade journals....
, Rhyncholaelia
Rhyncholaelia

Rhyncholaelia, abbreviated Rhynch in horticultural trade, is a genus of orchids , comprising 2 species. They are distributed from Mexico to Honduras....
, and Sophronitis
Sophronitis

Sophronitis, abbreviated Soph in horticultural trade, is a genus of small, epiphyte or lithophyte orchids, growing in the damp montane forest of eastern Brazil, Paraguay and NE Argentina....
. The majority of orchid hybrids belong to this category, i.e. x Sophrolaeliocattleya, x Brassolaeliocattleya and a number of other variations.

Species

Laelia Gouldiana
  • Laelia albida
    Laelia albida

    Laelia albida is the most northerly-growing laelia in Mexico. This epiphytic orchid bears ten or more small pale pink flowers on a half-meter terminal inflorescence in late winter to early spring....
     Bateman ex Lindl.
    • Amalia albida (Bateman ex Lindl.) Heynh.
    • Cattleya albida (Bateman ex Lindl.) Beer
    • Bletia albida (Bateman ex Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Laelia candida Lodd. ex W.Baxter
    • Laelia discolor A.Rich. & Galeotti


  • Laelia anceps Lindl.
    • Amalias anceps (Lindl.) Hoffmanns.
    • Amalia anceps (Lindl.) Heynh.
    • Bletia anceps (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Cattleya anceps (Lindl.) Beer,


  • Laelia anceps
    Laelia anceps

    DistributionVarieties*Laelia anceps subsp. anceps . Pseudobulb epiphyte* Laelia anceps subsp. dawsonii Rolfe, 1922 . Pseudobulb epiphyte...
     subsp. anceps
    • Bletia anceps var. barkeriana (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Laelia barkeriana Knowles & Westc.
    • Laelia anceps f. chilapensis Soto Arenas


  • Laelia anceps subsp. dawsonii (J.Anderson) Rolfe
    • Laelia anceps var. dawsonii J.Anderson
    • Laelia dawsonii (J.Anderson) Crawshay
    • Laelia anceps var. schroederiana Rchb.f.
    • Laelia anceps var. sanderiana Rchb.f.
    • Laelia anceps var. hallydayana O'Brien
    • Laelia hallidayana (O'Brien) Crawshay
    • Laelia sanderiana (Rchb.f.) Crawshay
    • Laelia schroederae Crawshay


  • Laelia aurea A.Navarro
    • Amalia autumnalis (Lex.) Heynh.
    • Laelia autumnalis (Lex.) Lindl.
    • Bletia autumnalis Lex.
    • Cattleya autumnalis (Lex.) Beer
    • Laelia autumnalis var. atrorubens Bachb.f.
    • Laelia autumnalis var. venusta
    • Laelia autumnalis var. xanthotrophis Rchb.f.
    • Laelia autumnalis var. alba B.S.Williams
    • Laelia venusta Rolfe
    • Laelia autumnalis f. atrorubens (Backh.f.) Halb.
    • Laelia autumnalis f. xanthotrophis (Rchb.f.) Halb. & Soto Arenas


  • Laelia crawshayana Rchb.f.,
    • Laelia crawshayana var. leucoptera Rchb.f.
    • Laelia leucoptera (Rchb.f.) Rolfe
    • Laelia bancalarii R.González & Hágsater


  • Laelia eyermaniana Rchb.f.


  • Laelia furfuracea Lindl.
    • Amalia furfuracea (Lindl.) Heynh.
    • Cattleya furfuracea (Lindl.) Beer.
    • Bletia furfuracea (Lindl.) Rchb.f.


  • Laelia gloriosa (Rchb.f.) L.O.Williams
    • Schomburgkia gloriosa Rchb.f.
    • Bletia gloriosa (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f
    • Epidendrum fimbriatum Vell.
    • Schomburgkia crispa Lindl.
    • Cattleya crispa (Lindl.) Beer
    • Bletia crispina (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Bletia wallisii Rchb.f.
    • Schomburgkia fimbriata Hoehne
    • Schomburgkia crispa var. alba L.C.Menezes


  • Laelia gouldiana
    Laelia gouldiana

    Laelia gouldiana is a plant of the orchid genus Laelia and native to Mexico.Laelia gouldiana can grow 1 meter tall. It has pink flowers....
     Rchb.f.


  • Laelia heidii (Carnevali) Van den Berg & M.W.Chase
    • Schomburgkia heidii Carnevali


  • Laelia lueddemanii (Prill.) L.O.Williams
    • Schomburgkia lueddemanii Prill.
    • Schomburgkia lueddemanii var. costaricana (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f.


  • Laelia lundii (synonym of the accepted name Sophronitis lundii (Rchb.f. & Warm.) Van den Berg & M.W.Chase, 2000 )


  • Laelia lyonsii (Lindl.) L.O.Williams
    • Schomburgkia lyonsii Lindl.
    • Bletia lyonsii (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Schomburgkia carinata Griseb.
    • Schomburgkia lyonsii var. immaculata H.G.Jones.


  • Laelia marginata (Lindl.) L.O.Williams
    • Schomburgkia marginata Lindl.
    • Cattleya marginata (Lindl.) Beer.
    • Bletia marginata (Lindl.) Rchb.f.


  • Laelia moyobambae (Schltr.) C.Schweinf.
    • Schomburgkia moyobambae Schltr
  • Laelia purpurata
    Laelia purpurata

    Sophronitis purpurata is native to Brazil where it is very popular among orchid growers. It is an epiphyte that is found in the canopy of tall trees near coastal areas, in the Brazilian States of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and S?o Paulo....


  • Laelia rosea (Linden ex Lindl.) C.Schweinf.
    • Schomburgkia rosea Linden ex Lindl.
    • Bletia rosea (Linden ex Lindl.) Rchb.f.


  • Laelia rubescens Lindl.
    • Amalia rubescens (Lindl.) Heynh.
    • Cattleya rubescens (Lindl.) Beer
    • Bletia rubescens (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Laelia acuminata Lindl.
    • Laelia peduncularis Lindl.
    • Amalia acuminata (Lindl.) Heynh.
    • Amalia peduncularis (Lindl.) Heynh.
    • Laelia pubescens Lem.
    • Cattleya acuminata (Lindl.) Beer
    • Cattleya peduncularis (Lindl.) Beer
    • Laelia violacea Rchb.f.
    • Bletia acuminata (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Bletia peduncularis (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Bletia violacea (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f.
    • Laelia inconspicua H.G.Jones
    • Laelia rubescens f. peduncularis (Lindl.) Halb.


  • Laelia speciosa
    Laelia speciosa

    Laelia speciosa, commonly known as the Mayflower orchid, is an orchid found in area of Mexico with high elevation of to . The plant is very drought resistant and can tolerate cool to warm conditions....
     (Kunth) Schltr.
    • Bletia speciosa Kunth
    • Bletia grandiflora Lex.
    • Laelia grandiflora (Lex.) Lindl.
    • Cattleya grahamii Lindl.
    • Laelia majalis Lindl.
    • Amalia grandiflora (Lex.) Heynh.
    • Amalia majalis (Lindl.) Heynh.
    • Cattleya majalis (Lindl.) Beer


  • Laelia splendida (Schltr.) L.O.Williams
    • Schomburgkia splendida Schltr.


  • Laelia superbiens Lindl.
    • Amalia superbiens (Lindl.) Heynh.
    • Cattleya superbiens (Lindl.) Beer
    • Bletia superbiens (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Schomburgkia superbiens (Lindl.) Rolfe


  • Laelia undulata (Lindl.) L.O.Williams
    • Schomburgkia undulata Lindl.
    • Bletia undulata (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Schomburgkia violacea Paxton
    • Cattleya undulata Beer


  • Laelia weberbaueriana (Kraenzl.) C.Schweinf.
    • Schomburgkia weberbaueriana Kraenzl.


Synonymy

The genus Amalia Rchb. is generally included here.