Bletia coccinea Lex. 1825
Flowers in situ in the federal area of Mexico Photos by © Edouard Faria 2006 All rights reserved.
LATE
EARLY
Common Name The Brick Red Bletia
Flower Size 3 1/2" [8.75 cm]
Found in Jalisco, Michoacan, México, Morelos, Guerrero and Oaxaca states of Mexico near the Pacific coast on bluffs, grassy slopes and grassy and rocky hillsides in oak or semi-deciduous forests at elevations of 1500 to 2000 meters as a medium sized, cool growing terrestrial orchid with ovoid-ellipsoid or fusiform, horizontal pseudobulbs carrying narrowly lanceolate, plicate, long petiolate leaves that are present at flowering and blooms in the spring through fall on an erect, 12 to 20" [30 to 50 cm] long, racemose, few flowered inflorescence arising from the base of the leaves with a few, wide open flowers.
In colonial days the people used the corms of this orchid to produce a glue called "Tzacuhtli" that was used in plumbing.
Synonyms Bletia fulgens Rchb.f. 1855
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1855 as B fulgens; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1856 as B fulgens; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 15 881 - 944 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1984 as B fulgens; Flora Novo-Galaciana Vol 16 McVaugh 1985; Orquideas del Estado de Morelos ORQUÍDEA (MÉX.) VOLUMEN 16 NÚMERO ÚNICO enero 2002 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 5 & 6 Orchids Of Mexico Parts 2 & 3 Plate 532 Hagsater, Soto 2002 drawing fide; Orchids of Mexico Hagsater, Soto, Salazar etal 2005 photo fide
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