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Laelia

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Laelia
Laelia anceps
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Monocots
Order:
Asparagales
Family:
Orchidaceae
Subfamily:
Epidendroideae
Tribe:
Epidendreae
Subtribe:
Laeliinae
Alliance:
Cattleya
Genus:
Laelia

Lindl., 1831
Species

See text.

Laelia, abbreviated L. in the horticultural trade,[1] is a small genus of 25 species[2] from the orchid family (Orchidaceae). 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 Virgins. Another possibility is the name borne by female members of the Roman patrician family of Laelius.

Biology

They are found in the subtropical or temperate climate of Central America, but mostly in 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.[3]

Most are epiphytes, but a few are lithophytes, such as Laelia anceps. They are closely related to Cattleya, but have twice as many pollinia. Stems are usually short, however the stem of Laelia anceps can be more than 1 m long. The ovate pseudobulbs are clearly separate. These are about 6 – 30 cm long. One or two waxy, leathery leaves 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 flowers can be pink to purple, with a beautifully colored purple lip becoming white close to the column . 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.[4]

Cultivation

Members of this genus tend to be fairly easy in culture provided they are given a cool, dry resting period through the winter months, and the plants are surprisingly drought-tolerant. Water is very harmful to these plants during dormancy and will prevent them from flowering, and in many cases cause the plants to loose their roots and decline. These plants require very high light levels throughout the year to bloom of at least 2000 foot candles, and fairly moderate humidity. The flowers, though considered striking and vividly colored in many species, are short-lived typically, seldom lasting longer than 10-15 days, and are produced on very long, wiry racemes which tend to be few flowered, or singly flowered, and the plants only bloom once a year usually. [5][6]

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. Most of these plants are from seasonally dry forests where the humidity is usually moderately high all year, but experience periods of several months without precipitation. Some will not flower if watered at all during the months of December through April, notably, Laelia speciosa.[7]

Most of these species have a weedy, straggly, rambling growth habit and are best grow on tree fern or cork bark slabs, and are easily propagated from divisions. Some of the larger species can be grown in large, wide, and deep clay pots with a layer of rich humus on the bottom of the pot with orchid bark layered on top about 50/50 and the plants grown on the bark surface. Most of these species produce prodigious roots and some of these species can quickly grow into large specimen plants, while some of them are small epiphytes best accommodated on plaques. The plants are intolerant of root disturbance and re-potting can send them into decline for a season or more, and should only be disturbed when the plants have overgrown their pot. Many of these species will outgrow their pot and continue to sustain themselves quite well with masses of aerial roots which probe back into the central pot for several seasons without needing to be re-potted.[8]

The "Brazilian Laelias, after being classified for several years under Sophronitis,[9] have now been placed in the genus Cattleya, to avoid confusion. Several species of the now-defunct genus Schomburgkia have been added to the genus Laelia Laelia species readily form hybrids within the genus, and with other genera, including Cattleya, Brassavola, and Rhyncholaelia.[10]

Species

Laelia gouldiana
  • Laelia albida 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 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
    • Laelia rubescens var. aurea (A.Navarro) M.Wolff & O.Gruss
  • Laelia autumnalis (Lex.) Lindl.
    • Amalia autumnalis (Lex.) Heynh.
    • 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 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.
    • Bletia crispina (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
    • Bletia wallisii Rchb.f.
    • Schomburgkia fimbriata Hoehne
    • Schomburgkia crispa var. alba L.C.Menezes
  • 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 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.
    • Cattleya crispa (Lindl.) Beer (1854) nom. illeg.[11]
    • Bletia marginata (Lindl.) Rchb.f.
  • 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 (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 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

Synonymy

The genus Amalia Rchb. is generally included here.

References

  1. ^ "ALPHABETICAL LIST OF STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS OF ALL GENERIC NAMES occurring in current use in orchid hybrid registration as at 31st December 2007", RHS. Downloaded November 10, 2010, from http://www.rhs.org.uk/RHSWebsite/files/87/87be8b1e-908e-4e04-9ee6-30c438354458.pdf
  2. ^ search for Laelia on http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/qsearch.do
  3. ^ Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids ISBN 0881922676
  4. ^ The Orchids, Natural History and Classification, Robert L. Dressler. ISBN 0674875265
  5. ^ The Orchids, Natural History and Classification, Robert L. Dressler. ISBN 0674875265
  6. ^ Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids ISBN 0881922676
  7. ^ The Orchids, Natural History and Classification, Robert L. Dressler. ISBN 0674875265
  8. ^ Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids ISBN 0881922676
  9. ^ van den Berg and Chase Lindleyana 15 (2), page 115, June 2000
  10. ^ The Orchids, Natural History and Classification, Robert L. Dressler. ISBN 0674875265
  11. ^ http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?accepted_id=107026&repSynonym_id=188330&name_id=35866&status=false
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