''Laelia'' is a small genus of 25 species in the orchid family (

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

). ''Laelia'' species are found in areas of subtropical or temperate climate in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, but mostly in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. ''Laelia'' is abbreviated ''L.'' in the horticultural trade.

Description

Mostly

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

herbs (with a few

lithophyte Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are also ...

s) with laterally compressed

pseudobulb The pseudobulb is a storage organ found in many epiphytic and terrestrial sympodial orchids. It is derived from a thickening of the part of a stem between leaf nodes and may be composed of just one internode or several, termed heteroblastic and ...

s. One to four leathery or fleshy

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are born near the top of each pseudobulb, and can be broadly ovate to oblong. The inflorescence is a terminal raceme (rarely a panicle). The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s have 8

pollinia A pollinium (plural pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of mil ...

; petals are of a thinner texture than the sepals; sepals and petals are of similar shape, but the sepals being narrower; the lip or labellum is free from the arched flower

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

Distribution

Species of ''Laelia'' can be found from western Mexico south to

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, from sea level to mountain forests.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Laelia'' was described as part of subfamily

Epidendroideae Epidendroideae is a subfamily of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Epidendroideae is larger than all the other orchid subfamilies together, comprising more than 15,000 species in 576 genera. Most epidendroid orchids are tropical epiphytes ...

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

. Brazilian ''Laelias'', after being classified for several years under ''

Sophronitis ''Cattleya'' () is a genus of orchids from Costa Rica south to Argentina. The genus is abbreviated C in trade journals. Description Epiphyte, Epiphytic or terrestrial orchids with cylindrical rhizome from which the fleshy noodle-like roots ...

'', have now been placed in the genus ''

Cattleya ''Cattleya'' () is a genus of orchids from Costa Rica south to Argentina. The genus is abbreviated C in trade journals. Description Epiphytic or terrestrial orchids with cylindrical rhizome from which the fleshy noodle-like roots grow. Pseu ...

''. Moreover, species formerly placed in the genus ''

Schomburgkia ''Schomburgkia'' was a genus of plants belonging to the family Orchidaceae. This genus was named for Richard Schomburgk, a German botanist who explored British Guiana during the 19th century. Former species of this genus were either epiphytic ...

'' have been moved either to the genus ''Laelia'' or ''

Myrmecophila ''Myrmecophila'' is a genus of plants belonging to the family Orchidaceae. It is native to southern Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and Venezuela. Species in this genus are either Epiphyte, epiphytic or Lithophyte, lithophytic in their ...

''.

Species

''Laelia'' comprises the following species:

Ecology

Species in this genus are found in forests from sea level to mountain habitats above 2000 m. Species from above 2000 m of elevation like ''L. albida'', and ''L. autumnalis'' are adapted to temperate climates and can be grown outdoors in places like the

Mexican Plateau The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano ( es, Altiplanicie Mexicana), is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico. Averaging above sea level, it extends from the US-Mexico border ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and other subtropical areas with cool summers. ''Laelia'' is one of the orchid genera known to use

crassulacean acid metabolism Crassulacean acid metabolism, also known as CAM photosynthesis, is a carbon fixation pathway that evolved in some plants as an adaptation to arid conditions that allows a plant to photosynthesize during the day, but only exchange gases at night. ...

photosynthesis, which reduces

evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) is the combined processes by which water moves from the earth’s surface into the atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of water to the air directly from soil, canopies, and water bodies) and transpi ...

during daylight because

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

is collected at night.

Cultivation

Laelias can be grown fastened to tree trunks, as long as the tree won't cast a deep shadow; they can also be fastened to a piece of branch or a slab of cork so they can be hung in a place facing south. The growing medium must have good drainage, rapidly drying after watering; pieces of pine bark, charcoal or pebbles are good choices. If grown mounted they definitely need approximately 50–70% humidity, while cooler temperatures increase the blooming process. Watering can be done 2–3 times a week, but with lower frequency in winter. Fertilization can be done with a very dilute solution, twice a month especially during growing season (May to November in Northern Hemisphere).

Nothogenera

Hybrids of ''Laelia'' with other orchid genera are placed in the following nothogenera (this list is incomplete): * × ''Laeliocattleya'' (''Lc.'') = ''

'' × ''Laelia'' * × ''Laeliocatonia'' (''Lctna.'') = '' Broughtonia'' × ''

'' × ''Laelia'' * × ''Laeliocatarthron'' (''Lcr.'') = ''

'' × ''

Caularthron ''Caularthron'' Raf. (1837), abbreviated Cau. in the horticultural trade, is a genus of orchids with 4 species.Information retrieved from http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/qsearch.do on October 3, 2010, after entering "Caularthron". They are epiphytic o ...

'' × ''Laelia'' * × ''Sophrolaelia'' (''Sl.'') = ''Laelia'' × ''

'' ''

Rhyncholaelia ''Rhyncholaelia'', abbreviated ''Rl.'' in the horticultural trade, is a genus of orchids (family Orchidaceae), comprising two species. They are distributed in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. Both species were originally published in '' ...

'' is a distinct genus rather than a nothogenus.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q133101 Epiphytic orchids Laeliinae genera